Wrath of a Trainer
by Zeromaru Chaos Mode
Summary: He beat Darkrai, and for his efforts, he was sent to another world. Someone has a plan for him, but Zero Shinzaki only knows one thing: His life will never be the same.
1. Prologue: End of a Journey

**Legendary Trainer**

**Prologue**

(BGM: Burn My Dread – Persona 3: Battle for Everyone's Souls)

"Now Milotic! Ice Beam!"

"Chihiro! Dragon Pulse!"

The battle had been fierce. Zero Shinzaki, a 16 year old trainer from the Hoenn Region was now challenging Cynthia, the Champion of the Sinnoh Region. He had entered the field with fire blazing in his eyes. The two were evenly matched, both down to their last Pokémon.

The scaled yet elegant water snake loosed a blast of frigid energy at her target. The pink floating legless dragon before her, a Latias, an extremely rare Pokémon retaliated with a continuous blast of energy. The piercing stream and the modest orb of power crashed into one another, kicking up a massive wall of dust as the crowd watched with bated breath.

Cynthia was sweating…but it wasn't just sweat that rolled down her cheeks…but silent tears as well. The boy's tale was a tall one…but she herself had seen the skill, the knowledge in his eyes when she first encountered him, a strange brunette at his side. He spun a web of events…starting from when she thanked him for his efforts at Mt. Cornet.

* * *

"_Thank you? You're damn RIGHT you're thanking me! The world almost ended that day!"_

_The two sent out their Pokémon. For Cynthia, a Spiritomb, a Dark Ghost combination. A fusion so rare only two Pokémon species in the entire world boasted it. He sent out a Magneton, something he called 'Ikazuchi.'_

_Cynthia was taken aback. "What do you mean?"_

"…_you don't know anything do you? I figured as much. Tch…useless…Ikazuchi!"_

_The boy need not speak. The trio of floating magnets all stiffened like rods…and a wave of electricity washed over the entire arena. Spiritomb suddenly had a harder time moving._

"_Dialga and Palkia, you idiot! Those two god-like Pokémon woke up because of Team Galaxy!"_

_The graceful blonde gasped, not just at his revelation, but at the sheer magnitude of his pokémon's attack. Thunder Wave was supposed to be a weak jolt of electricity…but this version was far wider a range than anything she'd seen before._

"_Dialga…and…Palkia? Impossible! They're just-_

"_THEY'RE REAL!" He snarled out._

_She flinched at that. Robotically calling her Spiritomb back, the swirling mass of darkness had been bested by a single Zap Cannon, something she'd never encountered before. Flinging out another ball she listened intently to his tale._

"_Those two woke up! And Dialga flipped out on us! It's a miracle my pokémon are still alive, let alone myself! Roar of Time Cynthia! Roar of Mother FUCKING TIME! An attack so powerful it can distort time itself! If it wasn't for Palkia deciding NOT to be a dickshit like you, I would have died!"_

_Her next pokémon, Roserade was easily taken out by a Blast Burn from his Blaziken. She twitched, both at the flagrant vulgarity and the fast defeat her pokémon withstood._

"_I…I don't understand…"_

"_NO SHIT SHERLOCK! YOU WERENT THERE! AND YOU __**SHOULD **__HAVE BEEN!"  
_

_She called forth Gastrodon, only to watch as it quickly fell to a Magical Leaf launched by his Mismagius._

"_You never did ANYTHING! You left it up to me! God you have no idea how LUCKY you are that I've faced impossible odds before! What if I was a new trainer huh? What if I was just some green kid fresh out of Twinleaf? They would have died in an instant, and their blood would have been on YOUR hands…just like those pokémon at Lake Valor!"_

_The battle paused as everyone present silenced._

"_Lake…Valor?"_

"_Galaxy…their Galaxy Bomb…you saw it…you had to. The lake…it was completely destroyed. All those pokémon living in it died in the blast. All because you were too lazy to stop them!"_

"_L-Lazy?"_

"_You…the supposed Pokémon Champion…what a crock of shit!"_

_She froze._

"_Some Champion __**you **__are! You didn't even lift a finger to try to stop those Galactic fuckasses!"_

"_I was on the other side of the continent!"_

"_YOU WERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR GOD DAMN ETERNA DISTRICT WHEN I MET YOU!"_

"_I thought they were just small time Zealots like the other Teams!"_

"_SMALL TIME ZEALOTS? Are you fucking STUPID? Team Aqua almost drowned the entire planet when they pissed off Kyogre! Team Magma almost caused an eternal DROUGHT when __**THEY **__pissed off GROUDON! __**I **__had to go wake up fucking RAYQUAZA in order to save the goddamn planet!"_

_She spoke in a small voice filled with awe. "You're…__**that **__Zero Shinzaki?"_

"_DAMN RIGHT I AM! And don't even get me STARTED on Team Rocket! Most of them are bumbling fools but before that Ash kid beat their boss enough times in Kanto, and I swept up their remnants in the Sevii Islands and Johto, they'd managed to create and damn near control Mewtwo! My GOD! You fucking Sinnoh natives have it MADE! How EASY it must be to just sit back and ignore everything else that goes on in the world!"_

_She tried to hide her surprise behind a wall of irritation._

"_Don't patronize me Shinzaki! I'm the Champion here! Not you! GO GARCHOMP!"_

"_You may be Champion here…but I'm Champion of Hoenn, Kanto AND Johto! And once I beat you, I'll have kicked the asses of all four regions! CHIHIRO!"_

_The strange brunette behind him nodded and leapt of the railing. Cynthia got ready to call a disqualification when the girl glowed and morphed into…_

"_A LATIAS?"_

"_I didn't tell you? I also ran into this Latias while I was on the way to Johto. Damn captain made a wrong turn and the ship broke down near a really weird Island. I found her trapped under a fallen tree from the recent storm and nursed her back to health. After that, she started following me around, so I gave her a name…Chihiro! Bufudyne!"_

_The Pink creature nodded her assent and evaded the opposing dragon's charge. A wave of frigid air washed over the arena as she summoned a Blizzard. Quickly, icicles formed on the Garchomp's body. The combined weakness to ice got it frozen solid in a block of ice._

"_Now call back your pokémon before I decide to shatter it to pieces and relive it of being bound to someone as incompetent as you!"_

_He was champion of three different regions, she thought. He doesn't need this title added to it…is he that angry that he would kill a pokémon? Yes…yes he is…_

"_Go Milotic!"_

* * *

The beam of ice ruptured the ball of draconic energy, tearing through the air and impacting on the Latias, causing the Dragon pokémon to cry in pain as she dropped to the ground.

"Chihiro! Dammit…" The dark tan skinned young man pulled out a purple ball with an M stamped on it.

_A Master Ball?_

A beam of red light engulfed the Latias, calling it back to its sphere.

"I'm sorry Chihiro…I forgot about Mikoto knowing Ice Beam…"

He looked up at Cynthia, noting her sweat.

"Tenkou mitsukuru tokoro ware wa ari…"

The blonde woman blinked in confusion.

"Yomi no mon hiraku tokoro nanchi ari…"

The young man reached behind him, eyes closed and drawing an Ultra Ball. He tossed it into the air.

"IDE YO! KAMI NO **IKAZUCHI!**"

In a wave of golden light, his Magneton appeared. Within seconds, clouds began forming in the air. The three magnets separated, surprising not just Cynthia, but everyone present, as well as those watching at home. The few researchers watching the battle started fumbling around for writing utensils, never before seeing a Magneton split into three before.

"_**INDIGNATION!"**_

The three Magnemite making up Magneton fired a beam of yellow into the cloud. Immediately after the beams stopped there was a flash of light as a MASSIVE golden bolt of lightning slammed down on Milotic. The water snake screeched in agony as its internal water supply was almost entirely vaporized. It dropped to the ground, lifeless…unconscious…and alive…but just barely.

With a shaking hand, Cynthia recalled her Milotic, gaping at the sheer power this youth's pokémon possessed. She was down to her last.

"I…wow…it's…been a long time…since I was pushed this far…but now…it's over! Go…LUCARIO!"

In a wave of light, the blue furred lupine pokémon appeared.

_Tch, Lucario…they're naturally fast…not as fast as a Scyther, or even a Jolteon…but fast. Faster than Ikazuchi. Even if it separates repeatedly, during the times it needs to reconnect in order to restart the flow of magnetism…it can be hit easily…_

"Enough, come back Ikazuchi."

Another red beam, and the Magneton was returned.

"Fine then…let's see you deal with AKIHA!"

A burst of sparkles and his Blaziken appeared. Only his looked different from the normal…

"A Shiny Blaziken?"

"I got lucky."

_Damn…Akiha's good, but that Lucario looks battle hardened…this is gonna be tough…_

"Akiha!"

"I won't let you! Extreme Speed!"

Cynthia's Lucario vanished in a small puff of dust. Body honed from training against her own trainer, the Blaziken deftly spun out of the way of the rematerializing Lupine's swing, grabbing it by the neck and flaring up its internal energy for an Overheat.

"**ARC DRIVE!"**

_赤手折り紙__: Sekishuu Origami! (Bare Handed Paper Folding)_

Within seconds the Blaziken's power ripped out of its body, igniting Lucario in a massive tower of flame. The pillar of fire distorted as Lucario's flaming form was launched from it. Zero's Blaziken panted with exertion. Slowly…Lucario got up.

_Dear…god! What in the world was that? My Lucario is barely holding on!_

"Lucario! Are you alright!"

"L-Lu!"

"Good…Aura Sphere!"

Energy gathered within its palms.

_Shit. _"Akiha, can you move?"

"Blaze!"

She nodded and began racing at Cynthia's Lucario.

"Attack now Lucario!"

"Cut, cut, CUT!"

Understanding the words, Zero's Blaziken brought back its right claw and swung it upwards in an arc just as Lucario launched its Aura Sphere, a glowing blue orb of power.

Three massive gashes suddenly ripped into Lucario's chest. It let loose a howl of pain, but weathered the attack. Unfortunately for Zero, his Blaziken was wide open and took the Aura Sphere head on…the attack kicking up a massive wall of dust, but also knocking it out of the fight.

_Dammit…_ "Good job Akiha…rest now…"

Another red beam.

_Only two left…and Ikazuchi would get schooled…_

"Zefie! It's up to you!"

From the inky black depths of a Dusk Ball, Mismagius appeared.

"Cynthia…it ends here."

"Not if I can help it! Lucario! Launch your Psychic attack!"

Zero's eyes narrowed as the opposing pokémon glowed pink for a moment and a massive distortion of air emerged from it.

_Though a Ghost, Psychic attacks can still affect Zefie…not very well, but she can still be hit by them…and with the radius of that move she's not likely to dodge…_

However…just before collision…a ghostly image of a Gyarados materialized in the way of the attack, bursting into vapors…and then re-forming.

"What…What is this?"

Zero chuckled. A hollow…empty sound that drained the spirits of everyone present.

"Didn't I tell you? The blood of all those lost pokémon at Lake Valor is on your hands. Tell me…what is Mismagius?"

"A…Ghost…Pokémon. Why?"

"Ghost…meaning she's dead. A spirit from the afterlife given form."

Zefie nodded and her form blurred. In moments she went from a strange yet creepy looking pokémon to a pale skinned violet haired little girl wearing a witch's hat. Still transparent, the girl glowered down on her opponent.

"Zefie…was a ten year old girl who was murdered by Team Galaxy's former leader. Before Cyrus became leader, they had another, one who was a lot worse. He wasn't afraid to use pokémon to kill other humans who stood in his way…and Zefie here was one of his victims. Her spirit merged with the ambient energy given off by the pokémon near her, and she became a Misdreavus. This…is what she looked like before she died."

"I…my gods…"

"And now…this battle ends."

"How so?"

"You see…Ghost Pokémon…Dark Pokémon…those who live in the shadows…those who are surrounded by death and destruction…they all have a very…special…set of moves. Grudge, Revenge, Spite, Curse, Payback, Torment and Destiny Bond…"

The transparent little girl began glowing. She tilted her head back and spread her arms. Suddenly, the arena was filled with the wails and cries of ghosts. Transparent images of all the pokémon slain at any point by Team Galaxy began to appear and then vanish into the little girl's body.

"Don't you remember Cynthia? We survived a Roar of Time attack…we were touched by a Spatial Rend attack…the power to change the universe…that doesn't not leave its scars."

A wave of air washed over the arena. Everyone but Zero seemed to suddenly begin shuddering as the world seemed to distort. Fear, sorrow, grief, anguish, depression…all those feelings suddenly emerged into the hearts of all that were present. Lucario was frozen in terror, rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle.

"And now…you will witness the fruits of your disgrace."

A violet aura wrapped itself around the little girl as she pointed her arms towards Lucario, palms outward. A series of rings appeared around her wrists, each ring consisting of symbols, runes, letters and other strange markings. Three rings appeared as a sphere of energy started growing in front of her palms.

"Behold, Cynthia! The rage, the despair, the anguish of these lost souls! Feel their pain! Embrace their fear! Become one with the knowledge that their deaths are on your hands! Know that you have failed in protecting your home!"

The violet sphere turned pitch black. Both Trainer and Pokémon spoke as one, as the last ghost vanished into the orb.

"**Kneel and perish! **_**ETERNAL DAMNATION!"**_

A black light erupted from between the girl's palms…as a massive beam of darkness screamed its way towards the paralyzed Lucario. The patrons cried out in fear as the wave of black washed over all of them, robbing them of sight.

In the distance…one could see a massive pillar of black erupt into the sky…

All as the earth rumbled…


	2. Loss of Me

_**Dark PULSE!**_

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter I: Loss of Me**

The Mismagius known as Zefie, gave a sharp cry. Her form was that of the human girl who died to give rise to her, arms spread wide, preventing the literal wall of negative force from reaching her beloved master.

"ZEFIE! Zefie stop! You don't have to do this!"

"**If I don't…you'll die Zero!"**

"If you do YOU'LL die! This thing…this Darkrai…it's too powerful for you! Fuck woman you've got the type disadvantage as well!"

"**You…ugh…you know…it's not about…types…"**

"…all too well…"

Silent tears were running down the brown skinned boy's face. Their attacker, a strange looking Pokémon by the name of Darkrai…a pokémon that can invade a sleeping target's dreams and twist them into horrible nightmares…pushed on. His goal was the boy who emitted such powerful energy. Attracted by his inner darkness…but repelled by his inner light.

"**You saw how quickly he ripped through Hisui and Chihiro's shields! They were at a type disadvantage too! And other than myself, Kohaku is the only one that can get into this place…and she's with Cynthia and Sabrina trying to reach the island! If I **_**don't **_**do this…we'll lose you…and I can't have that."**

_**Fool! Why do you protect one such as him?! One who has spilt the blood of your brethren! Why do you serve the likes of Man, who suppress our power, our very right?!**_

"**Because he is NOT like the others! He understands us! He fights WITH us! You know only the surface Darkrai! You know only what your eyes have seen, but **_**we**_**…we know the truth! He has spilt our blood because he had no other choice! Look at him now! He cries for me! Do you think such pain would be present if I was some mere **_**servant?!**_** NO! I am his partner, I am his friend! He is my master because I **_**choose **_**him to be! He is **_**our **_**master because we **_**wish **_**it! I would serve **_**no other!**_** I would gladly die if it meant he lived to take another breath!"**

"DAMMIT WOMAN I DON'T WANT YOU TO!"

"**See?! He rejects my will not out of some foolish wish for a competent servant, but because he **_**cares**_**!"**

Though at a severe type disadvantage, the Mismagius stood her ground. Her iron will being the one thing keeping her master, her friend, from total annihilation. This Darkrai…attacking in a realm that only can be reached by those of the Psychic, Dark, or Ghost alignment. A mental realm created by the energies given off a sentient being as it sleeps. Though the island they battle on has its roots in the world of the Real, this battle…their war…takes place in a world few mortals can consciously find.

"**He is my master! He is my beloved brother in all but species! And it is in his name, that I defy your will!"**

Glowing with a violet radiance, Zefie pushed every bit of ethereal power she held. But she knew. She could not win this fight…perhaps if her master were of a clearer mind she could…no…she would definitely win if that were the case. They'd triumphed over much more difficult odds before. But in his state…wracked by constant nightmares of his sister's gruesome death…tired from all the publicity, the battles, the journey itself…

In this state…suffering such an attack would only be his demise…

_**I see…**_

The wall of black began to recede, pushed away by a wall of Violet summoned by the Mismagius before him. His eyes flared red, as his body began glowing a deeper black.

_**Then you understand…that I cannot suffer this lightly. If you are to fight and die in his name…THEN DIE WITH THE HUMAN SCUM THAT YOU SO DEARLY LOVE!**_

Immediately she was overwhelmed. The dark energies ripping at her spectral form, her very existence being smothered by the shadows. If she were anyone else…she would have been erased. But her battles…her training…her _will _kept her solid. Her body shot from its position like a bullet amidst her master's yells of fear and grief. He caught her flying form, his own body lifting off the ground from the impact that in all honesty, should not have happened.

"Z-Zefie…?"

She opened her eyes.

"**A-ahh…I'm…sorry…"**

"No…you…did great…"

"**He's…tired now…I…made sure of…that."**

"Thank you…for everything…"

"**Ahh…Ze…ro?"**

"Yes?"

"**Her…her…name…"**

Confused, the boy leaned closer to his rapidly fading friend.

"**Her…name…is…Mir…an…da…"**

And with that…his sister in all but species…vanished. And he cried.

_**How foolish. For her to think she could stand against my might…she only invited her own-…what?**_

The ground began to rumble. None of the combatants knew, but the battle had attracted the attention of beings far stronger than Darkrai…beings…that had their own ties to the human before him…

_**What is…oh…crap.**_

**WHAM!**

A massive red claw slammed into the dark Pokémon's face. A beastly roar filled the night sky as a giant red beast climbed out of the ground before Zero.

"Groudon…"

The beast growled and lowered its head. Groudon stared deep into the boy's eyes as if to say 'You called, and I answer.'

* * *

On a small speedboat, racing towards New Moon Island, a strange slab of land that only appeared on specific nights, two human females and a single pokémon rode. Cynthia, former Sinnoh champion and Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron City were the humans. Both with their own ties to Zero in their own unusual ways. The pokémon was a Ninetails, its golden fur getting slightly dampened by the waves, but paying no mind to the chilling fluid. Her mind was focused on her charge, her master Zero, was in danger, and this island was the key to his survival through the night.

"I WISH WE COULD HAVE BROUGHT THAT LUCARIO!"

"I KNOW! BUT SHIRANUI SAID SHE HAD TO STAY WITH ZERO TO MAKE SURE HIS AURA DOESN'T FADE!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN ANYWAY?!"

"**It means that Master Zero's life force is tied to whatever is on this island. As long as his aura remains strong, he will live. Lady Shiranui will keep his body safe…we, have to reach this island to make sure his **_**mind **_**is unharmed."**

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

"YES IT DOES! IT'S A PSYCHIC THING REALLY. THE MIND AND BODY ARE INTERCONNECTED AS ONE! THE BODY CANNOT TRULY FUNCTION WITHOUT THE MIND, BUT THE MIND CAN EXIST WITHOUT THE BODY! THE PROBLEM IS, IF THE BODY FADES, UNLESS THE MIND IS EITHER STRONG ENOUGH, OR HAS A SUITABLE VESSEL AROUND, THE MIND TOO WILL FADE!"

"**The Psychic Girl is correct. Lady Shiranui will flood Master Zero's body with her own aura, like a heartbeat, pulsing in tune to his. She however cannot sustain this forever, which is why we must reach this island."**

_Dammit kid…Zero…don't die on me…!_

* * *

_**Such speed! It should be impossible for one at such size!**_

Darkrai was having a difficult time of things. Groudon was proving to be a good bit faster than he remembered. Ground pokémon were known for their lack of speed, but defensive and offensive power…not to mention…

"Groudon! Doryuu Reppa!"

The hulking red beast roared its understanding and slammed its right foot into the ground. The earth splintered and cracked beneath its might as massive stones began whirling around its body, localized around its right arm.

_**This…is going to hurt.**_

**WHAM! Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh.**

Not only did Darkrai get impacted by the red giant's fist…but the whirlwind of massive rocks surrounding it as well.

_**How is this possible?! It's almost as if the boy-…that's it…the boy…he has been exposed to Psychic Pokémon for so long that he himself has developed a rudimentary psychic field…with which he transmits his thoughts to his warriors…ugh…I am at my limit…he commands Groudon…a force of nature itself…very well…destroy me then.**_

"No."

_**What?**_

"You killed Zefie. You hurt Hisui and Chihiro…I _should _kill you. Your very existence is a plague upon this world…but no. For your crimes death would be a release."

_**What…are you saying?!**_

"Now! Ancient Power!"

**CRACK**

The ground splintered as massive slabs of rock rose from the earth…but unlike what Darkrai expected they just hovered there, unmoving.

_**How pointless was-urk!**_

Groudon had caught the dark pokémon in its claw, holding it tightly.

_**What are-wait…where did he-**_

And then he saw it. The young boy…the trainer Zero.

Leaping from rock to rock.

_**Agility? No…ExtremeSpeed? But he is a HUMAN! How can a Human use the attack of a Pokémon?!**_

"Because I trained with them! I fought with them! I bled for them! I dreamed with them! I know my pokémon's strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, favorite foods, favorite shows, favorite EVERYTHING! Because I took the time to learn from them, and they from me!"

Bounding from stone to stone, presented as little more than a flicker of black among the floating slabs of earth, Zero made his way to the Dark Pokémon. He leapt onto Groudon's arm, racing its length before leaping into the air. He pulled his arm back. Darkrai assumed he was going to get punched.

If it was a human…he would have been right.

_**No…that's a-**_

"Your sentence! Not death! But a life of servitude to the one being you so loathe!"

_**NO!**_

* * *

The oppressive force faded as the three women (two human one pokémon) reached ground.

"Is it too late?"

"Hurry! We must find out!"

The words were no sooner out of Sabrina's mouth when their Ninetails companion raced ahead of them. The two women gave chase, and within a few moments reached an amazing spectacle.

"Holy…"

"Groudon…"

"**Why are you here, O Lord of the Earth?"**

"**I smell…human…upon you. Yes…the smell of the human who freed me from my rage…I felt his summons…I heard his cries, and I came. My purpose here has been fulfilled. To the depths of this planet I return. Lady Kohaku, when my great presence returns to the earth, behind where I stand is something of vast importance. Not the violet orb of which the Great Trainer had once sealed me within to calm my violent rage, but the object next to it. Take both to him with my blessing."**

"**I shall, Lord Groudon."**

Before their eyes, Kohaku, the Ninetails began to glow. They did not hear the conversation, but saw how the radiant vixen seemed to stare down the Goliath of the Earth. The red giant turned and burrowed its way back into the ground, the hole it created sealing itself up behind him. They followed the vixen as she deftly made her way to where Groudon mentioned.

On the ground were two objects.

The first was a purple and white orb with a red M stamped on its front. Sabrina gasped in surprise.

"A master ball…but…why here?"

"**This is what remains of that which would threaten Master Zero. But this…I sense…something familiar…but what I cannot place…"**

Next to the Master Ball…

Was a black egg with blue and red spots.

* * *

Rejoice. I'm making this a full fledged fan fiction. I will tell you this however. Chapters will be slow. I have other fics I need to focus on before I can turn my full attention to this one. However…you won't get the true meat of the story until Platinum hits American soil, and I've played through it.

Until then, you'll only be getting character development, battles and humor. And a bit of drama of course.

Before I respond to anyone let me make this clear. There are some things that I do in this fic involving pokémon that will make no sense at first. I have my reasons, and explanations will come in time. Probably in the next chapter. Chapters will not follow a specific course. They will flow as they do, some of them even taking place at a time before a previous one. If you get confused, ask questions, but remember, there is a reason for everything.

Darkness in light 54: you asked, you got. Have fun.

D&S Master: yeah it's a decent enough one-shot…but I think I can make it an even better fic.

Yamimaru: it's more likely he was frying bastards getting info from them. Team Rocket…hell all the Teams seem to realize once shit goes down, if they're getting their shit wrecked by a kid, that means the majority of them are only around to slow the kid down with numbers. By which they do. I hear in Platinum, Cynthia does a bit more to help. (I wonder if anyone that was in on making the game read this?). I'll have to see.

Hiro and Zidane: was it that good? Really? I didn't think it was…but hey, if you liked it…I hope this is as good…it probably won't be, but hey, it's a start.

Misty Maxwell: Well, here's the extension. Something born of rage becomes something greater. How…poetic. Anyway, I hope this start is good. There's gonna be a lot of things going on in this fic. Hope you stick around for them!


	3. Rocketing Off

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter II: Zero's Hidden Nature**

"I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

**WHAP**

"Ash you moron! He just woke up! There's no way-

"No…it's fine."

Zero had finally awoken from his week-long slumber. With Darkrai now sealed in a Master Ball, its powers contained, Zero was freed from the continuous loop of nightmares he was trapped in. While Zero was perfectly fine with the idea of a battle, Hisui shot a glare at Ash that promised much pain and suffering in the near future, should anything happen to her master.

A whole group had gathered. Brock, ex-gym leader of the Rock type gym in Kanto, Sabrina, Psychic gym leader from Kanto, Cynthia, Hikari, who went by her middle name of "Dawn", Ash from Kanto and his party along with the Canalave City renditions of Nurse Joy and an Officer Jenny were present. The nurse was there to keep an eye on Zero's health, and the officer to question the boy on what had gone on the past week. However, both recalled seeing him on television and not only giving the present ex-champion a battle class beat-down, but also a verbal one as well.

Like with Ash's group, they wanted to see his skills first hand.

"If you don't mind…I will continue holding the egg while you do battle."

Hisui shot an uncertain look at her master, obvious distrust on her face; Zefie was like a sister to the Gardevoir, and for someone like Cynthia to be handling the egg that could very well hold her reincarnation…it didn't sit well with her, and she notified her master of it.

"…it should be fine." Zero turned to Hisui. "If you are that uncertain you can keep an eye on her." The Gardevoir nodded, gracefully stepping aside as her master stood up.

"Let us take this outside."

* * *

"This will be a three on three Pokemon battle! First to exhaust the team of the other will be the victor! Fighters ready?"

Zero just nodded.

"Yeah!"

"Let the battle Begin!"

"**Lord Zero…if you don't mind, I would like to take this one for you."**

The white and black Lucario stepped forward. Zero looked at it for a moment then shrugged. "As you wish…" _Be careful, I've heard of this Ash Ketchum before…he is skilled. _**It will be nothing my Lord. I saw it in his Pikachu's eyes, they rely on his commands.**

"Lucario huh? Alright! Go, Staravia!"

(BGM: SMT Digital Devil Saga II – Battle for Survival)

_Do you need my help Shiro?_

**Not at this time. But please, be my eyes for any other attacks I cannot see. I know how to handle birds such as this, but by the command of another human…**

_I understand. Let's show them what a real trainer can do._

"Wing Attack!"

The black and grey bird screeched before diving, wings spread and glowing. Shiranui simply sidestepped out of the way, letting the avian streak past before curving up back into the air.

_Ahh…I see now…he knows only the basics of what his pokemon can do... This will be no challenge at all._

"Quick Attack!"

The Lucario simply thrust out her palm after stepping to the side, causing the bird to slam into it. She followed up by channeling her misty white aura into her foot before crashing it into the side of the Staravia, sending it backwards.

**What a fool…Staravia's half-normal alignment nullifies the resistance it had against fighting based attacks…**

"Staravia! Are you okay?"

A few flaps and the bird was back into the air.

_Boring. End it._

**Understood.**

Shiranui slammed her foot into the ground, performing a Stone Edge. But…it didn't do anything except make sharp rocks emerge from the dirt. She then enveloped the rocks in a psychic field, before hurling them in an unusual formation at the bird.

"Evade it then counter with Quick Attack!"

_And there's his problem. He shouts his strategy for all to hear. Idiot._

**I've already planned against him. This round is over.**

The bird began flapping around, bobbing and weaving up and down and left and right, and sometimes backwards, avoiding all the rocks being hurled at it by Shiranui. It was prepared to dive for an attack…when it realized Shiranui was no longer down there.

"Wait…where'd-

**Crunch…Crunch…Crunch…**

Suddenly, rocks began exploding in random order. Both the spectators AND the battlers watched as a black streak bounded from stone to stone.

"Staravia look out!"

But it was no use. Within seconds Lucario had re-appeared above Staravia, slamming its foot down onto the bird's skull. The Staravia fell to the ground, unconscious, as Lucario landed next to it.

"Return…"

* * *

"Guys…I'm telling ya, I gotta baaaad feelin' about this plan."

"Oh relax Meowth, it'll be fine. We nab the egg, hatch it, then give it to the Boss and we'll be his favorites again!"

"I swear I've seen dat kid before though…"

"Probably just some nobody we passed."

"No…he was on TV not long ago…I just can't remember what was goin on…"

"Enough babble! Let's go!"

* * *

"Wow…I've never seen Pokemon pull stuff like that off."

"Not surprising. People tend to stick to the rules too closely. They all forget that pokemon are living sentient creatures. You think every time a Flareon wanted an apple off a tree it'd set the tree on fire? No, it'd smash the tree with its head to knock it down, or maybe even climb up the damn thing."

Cynthia, who was being allowed to hold the Egg, nodded along with the others. She was older than him, thus it was assumed she was wiser, and wise she was…but not as wise as he.

It was at that moment, when their guard was down, that a blur dashed by and snatched the egg from Cynthia's hands. Immediately the entire group went on guard.

"To protect the world from Devastation…"

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! Dats right!"

"WOBBA!"

"Went back to the old motto huh, Team Rocket?!"

Zero tensed. _The cat is holding my egg. WHY is the cat holding my egg?_

"We figured it'd be good to go back to our roots twerp. Seeing as how we're about to hit it big with the boss!"

"Team Rocket?! You're under arrest!"

Before the two could respond, Zero cut in.

"You three…called yourselves Team Rocket…?"

"Got that right!"

"I see…" Hisui stepped forward. "No Hisui…we cannot allow the egg to be enveloped by needless Psychic Energy at this early stage. Complications…could arise." The psychic pokemon bowed her head slightly in disappointment. She wanted to end this quickly.

"Team Rocket…I ask you this. Return my egg, and I will allow you to leave freely."

"WHAT?!"

"Kid, are you out of your mind?! I can't-

"Shut up!" Zero turned his attention to the three. "What say you?"

"Go! Seviper!" "Come on out Carvine!"

"…I see. That is your decision. Very well."

(BGM: Onimusha Dawn of Dreams – Hideyoshi's Decisive Battle)

"Akiha."

Without even moving, the pokeball containing his Blaziken shot from his belt and slammed into the ground, releasing its contents.

"Blaze!"

"**If you do not object, I would like to assist you in this battle Lord Zero."**

"As you wish…Shiranui."

The albino Lucario stepped forward.

"Alright Pikachu! Let's-

"Stop."

Ash froze in place.

"This is my battle. You will not interfere."

"I…what?"

"Besides…you can't keep up with me."

Jessie snorted. "Ha! Look kid, I don't know who you think you are but-

She was cut off by Zero vanishing from sight.

"What the-AAAAHHH!"

Zero had re-appeared in front of her, arm raised up in an uppercut…

A gleaming silver blade in hand.

Jessie's uniform was sliced open as a small trickle of red appeared vertically from just above her belly-button, reaching to just between her breasts. Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Zero's form seemed to blur as he spun on his right heel and slammed his left foot into her stomach, kicking her away with a loud "**thoom**". His pokemon took that as their cue to attack. As he was in mid-spin, Akiha and Shiranui took that chance to vanish from sight, appearing in front of Seviper and Carvine respectively.

As Zero's boot connected, his Blaziken appeared in front of Seviper, doing a twirl of her own before snatching it by the neck and flaring her internal heat stores.

_**赤手折り紙**__**: Sekishuu Origami! (Bare Handed Paper Folding)**_

Releasing a **massive **Overheat, Akiha loosed a wall of flame from the cuff of her right arm, forming a pillar of orange flames to erupt out in front of her.

While that happened, Shiranui dropped to all fours for a brief moment before flaring a glowing pale white aura of wispy flames around her. She ducked low and slammed her left paw right underneath Carvine's chin, launching it away from its master.

Moments after Jessie was launched, Zero seemed to warp over to James, slamming a fist into his face before jamming the blade into his shoulder, using it as a point to flip himself around and grab the older boy by the face, slamming him head first into the ground before yanking out the blade in a spray of blood. The force of the slam bounced James off the ground just enough for Zero to axe-kick him back down, before using his left leg to punt the light blue haired elder teen away.

During that, the albino Lucario leapt to the air just in front of where Carvine was going to end up and flared her aura, spinning.

_**Hakke Shoukuuten! (Eight Trigrams Heavenly Cutting Pressure (1)**_

A wall of whirling white erupted from Shiranui's form, materializing as a dome of swirling power. The dome expanded violently, its razor sharp energy catching and slowly carving into the plant pokemon's body, the wall eventually engulfing it entirely. After a few moments of spinning, Shiranui abruptly thrust her arms and legs out, ending the attack in one final pulse of fury. Carvine landed just outside the rim of a massive crater formed in the ground from the attack. Surprisingly, it was still alive…if only just.

_Oh CRAP! I KNEW dis was a bad idea! Dat's the kid! Dat's the kid Angela told us about! Da one who was going around killing Rockets!_

Zero appeared next to the slowly rising Jessie. He pulled his arm back as if he were to smack her, and attacked.

"STOP!"

Just before Zero was about to slice through the red-head's neck, he paused, centimeters away from her flesh. His eyes turned to the Meowth shivering while clutching the egg.

"Just…please…stop. I know you got honor in ya. I'll give ya the egg back, just…please…don't kill them."

"I have your word?"

"I swear on our lives."

"…Chihiro."

The brunette with glasses vanished and appeared in front of the small white cat. The suns rays reflected off of her spectacles, hiding her eyes from view as she bent down and plucked the egg from his grasp before flickering back to her original position. She nodded once.

Zero removed his blade as Shiranui and Akiha dumped the unconscious and barely alive bodies of Seviper and Carvana next to Jessie and James. The three flickered back to the other group, who were paralyzed with shock.

Meowth ran to Jessie's side, freezing when a strange sound engulfed the area.

Zero was glowing a horrid black, his subconscious mind channeling all the built up negativity from the past few days. The black glow flowed to the palm of his right hand and then launched itself at the feet of Meowth. A great explosion of powerful dark energy erupted from the impact zone, launching Team Rocket away.

"…how…how can you be so cruel?!"

"…Are you an idiot? Team Rocket exists to exploit, experiment on and steal pokemon. Their very purpose is to capture, utilize and manipulate any and all pokemon they come across, with preference to the rarer ones, and eventually take over the world. They dedicate their lives to the eventual destruction of everything that stands against them…but…why would you protest, Officer Jenny…"

Suddenly appeared next to her, a cold gleam in his eyes with blade pressed against her throat.

"Unless you mean to say the Canalave City Police Department is empathetic to Team Rocket's endeavors…"

That's when she understood. It was at that moment that Jenny recalled stories of busts on 'Team' hideouts, where hundreds of dead bodies were found…both human and pokemon alike.

"The Slowpoke-tail ring in Mahogany Town…the Radio Tower in Goldenrod, the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town, the Rocket Game Corner in Celadon, which was the most OBVIOUS thing in the goddamn world. Lets not forget Silph Co. Or the Sevii Islands."

Sabrina piped up. "I'd have done something but I saw Zero's coming and decided to kick back and watch the show on that one."

Brock jumped in. "I remember hearing about that one. Any Rocket that got too close to Sabrina's gym ended up with their brains splattered on the ground from Psychic Overload."

"You see Jenny? Even the Gym leaders did more to stop the rockets than your so called police force. And lets not forget good ol' Lance. Fried one right in front of me he did. That Dragonite of his didn't take shit from anyone."

"I…n-no…we…it's just…the law…"

"Rockets don't play by the Law. In those cases, neither should you." He removed his blade.

"I still swear I kicked Giovanni's ass though…"

"You did. Hisui showed me the memory of how she crushed his legs to keep him from walking again."

Gasps all around.

"Yes…perhaps I should have had you crush his vocal chords to make sure he could never speak again…"

"**Then how would Master's will be fulfilled?"**

"…good point."

"**Master did let that one female go though. Perhaps she is the problem?"**

"No…you and I both felt her mind, she was sincere with her beliefs. After we beat down that other Administrator, she gave us an oath she'd seek a better profession. Hmm…perhaps I should check on that…"

Ash jumped in.

"Wait, didn't I hear on the news that you said something about fighting Dialga and Palkia?"

Dawn spoke up as well. "Yeah, and you also said something about Groudon and Kyogre!"

"Alright, alright…let's head back to the Center, I'll tell you all about my adventures…"

* * *

1: this is a hack job translation using a bunch of random websites. As such It's probably off.

Alright…Answers to questions before they're questions.

Why is Zero so damn godly? He's trained with his pokemon, not just them, but himself. He didn't used to have those skills, in fact as you'll see in the next chapter, he was just a normal kid like most of the other trainers, just…with a bit more crap going on. Most of his abilities come from the time he spent around Psychic, Dark and Ghost pokemon, along with his own imagination and knowledge.

Remember people, if Team Rocket can live THIS long being constantly abused in GOD knows how many horrific ways due to them taking a hit from a pokemon's attack, or other things, if Ash can survive having his face constantly blasted by a friggin CHARIZARD, it shouldn't be too hard to believe that one teenager can do all this.

Plus he's based off of the male version of the main characters from Fire Red, Emerald, Crystal and soon to be Platinum. In each one, the main character takes on the most powerful of pokemon. The three Birds and Mewtwo in FR, the three Dogs in Crystal (along with Ho-oh and Lugia, and possibly Celebi), Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, the Regi's, and the Lati's in Emerald (along with Deoxys), and then Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Dialga, Palkia, Shaymin, Darkrai AND Arceus (who is basically apparently GOD in that world) in Platinum.

Being around THAT much energy given off by such powerful foes, all the CRAP you had to do to save the world, it's no wonder the Main Character becomes so damn godlike. As you'll see next chapter, Zero and his team barely survived Dialga's Roar of Time attack, and was saved by the second hit from Palkia's Spatial Rend. Abilities that can alter the very properties of reality itself, inflicted upon a single point…that DEFINITELY leaves its marks.

Any other questions will probably be answered during the course of the next chapter. Also, PLATINUM IS COMING!

The real story will begin soon. This is all just filler. As for how the battle ended…he won. That's all that matters. You'll see more killer WTF tactics in the next few chapters soon anyway.

Hunter 1: Ow. That's all I can say. Oh well, ONLY A FEW MORE DAYS!

Yamimaru: She apparently helps out more in Platinum. If that's the case, well…we'll see. As for more master balls? Hell yeah. He saves them for VERY special pokemon though, specifically legendaries, so that way nobody else can capture them and use them for their own ideals without him knowing. Presumptuous yes, but after his Emerald adventure, he doesn't want _anybody _controlling those things, not even himself, which is why he sends them out right after he catches them. They're still "his" technically, so nobody else can catch them, but he doesn't use them unless they decide to come along…save for Latias. As for catching Arceus (almost called it Arcueid)…doubtful.

D&S Master: and it will have a third, and a fourth, and will continue to have chapters until I'm out of story. Stick around. Next chapter's memories, and then…all hell breaks loose.

Darkness in light54: here's one more for ya!

Markrock18: Most writers would probably be pissed at you for telling them to hurry. You however gave me the kick in the pants I needed to start paying attention to this again. Don't worry, platinum's coming soon, and that'll get my Pokemno spark lit reeeeeal soon.


	4. Memories of Life

"…wait. Back up. You punched Mewtwo?!"

Ash was bewildered. As was everyone else.

"Yep."

"_Mewtwo?! _THE most powerful Psychic Pokémon on the planet?!"

"Yerp."

"…I'm sorry Zero…but I'm calling BS on that one."

Brock nodded. "I remember seeing Mewtwo in action…that's…not a very believable story."

Zero sighed. "Oh dear…looks like we're gonna have to show them after all…"

"**I told you that before Master. But nooo, you didn't want to listen to me."**

He shot a smirk at the Gardevoir who had just 'spoke'. He held out his hand, to which she responded by grasping it with her own.

"Alright, Sabrina especially, don't fight this. We're gonna show you first hand what happened."

Sabrina clapped her hands together and giggled. "Oooo, I'm finally gonna get a look inside that head of yours!"

Another smirk. "Don't push your luck Sabri, it's just a memory. My mind is still fully protected thank you very much."

She pouted. "Booo!"

With a few blinks, and a slight glow from Hisui, the world around them shifted…or at least, that's what they all thought. In reality, they were staring right at the trainer and his partner.

"**ahh…M-master…there's too many…"**

"Here, I'll help!" Chihiro, who had learned how to project her human image to speak English, grasped Zero's other hand. The two Psychic Pokémon, acting in unison, were able to complete the illusion…

* * *

_A strange presence…no…not strange…I have sensed this presence before._

_Yes…this one is familiar to me…_

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter III: Chains of Memories**

**Flashback: Cerulean Cave.**

"Goddamn BATS! Why?! Why the HELL are there so many friggin Golbat around? This cave has TWO of their opposites, plenty of Kadabra and Magneton! Why the hell…gah, fuck it. Hisui, you ok?"

"**Yes master. I think those repels you sprayed are working."**

"Even so…if we bump one it's gonna jump us."

"**I think we're getting close to the disturbance."**

"I feel it too…and my powers only exist because of yours…damn, that asshat Gary was right…there _is _something powerful in here."

"**I believe he preferred to be called Blue, master."**

"He's an asshat, so I don't care if he wants to be called _betty, _I'm using his given name and that's that."

The Gardevoir sighed. **"As you wish master."**

"**Who are you? I sense…strength. Anguish…hatred…"**

"Ahh…please get out of my head. I don't like when people I don't know snoop around in there."

"**Presumptuous human. Hmph…I had placed myself here waiting for a worthy opponent, and all that I encounter is a single human? Worthless…"**

"Oi! I'll give you worthless you not-cat-demon thing!"

That got a raised "eyebrow" from the powerful Psychic.

In a flash of light, Kohaku, Zero's Ninetails appeared. With a single command, she launched a torrent of flame from her mouth…only to have it bend around the creature.

"**Pitiful…oh well…a challenge is a challenge. I shall crush you like the others."**

In an instant, the attack was reversed. Zero and Kohaku both dodged to opposite sides…only for the creature to warp in front of the kitsune, and telekinetically lift her, before slamming her to the ground with its tail…

The battle was fought…Zero and his team against Mewtwo. The group watched in abject amazement and horror as the powerful Psychic decimated his forces…but Zero refused to relent, he would not be bent…and it wasn't until Mewtwo made one fatal mistake…did the battle change.

"**And so comes the last…"**

"Hi…Hisui…return…"

She dodged the beam. "Dammit…woman…you can't…"

"**I cannot but try master!" **She gathered her will and thrust her intentions against the cat-like Mewtwo. He responded in kind, matching her without effort…and then in seconds overcoming her.

"HISUI!"

"**A foolish Pokémon for a foolish human…however…your kind is not native to this area…interesting…you have…impressive."**

"**AAAAH! M-Master…i-it hurts…it hurts!"**

"GET OUT OF HER HEAD!"

"**Interesting…such power you wield due to the blood on your hands…I must dig deeper…why…while it is in your kind's nature…why do you fight so hard for a human?"**

Zero slowly rose to his feet. He stumbled, and then ran at Mewtwo. He was instantly knocked back by a single psychic wave. However, his intent succeeded. The cat-like Pokémon released its hold on his Gardevoir, and instead, grasped Zero himself.

"**And what did you hope to accomplish? No matter. You are next human."**

"N-no…s-stay…out…"

Images flashed before their eyes. A girl with brown hair, but golden strands streaked through. A man, poised with knife in hand. A younger Zero, kneeling next to a blooded body…spiked white hair matted to his forehead from beads of sweat.

"**Ahh…I see…the source of your rage…pathetic…for such a fool to be killed in such a manner…how befitting for a worthless human."**

And that was where Mewtwo made his mistake.

"…my…sister…"

"**What?"**

"My…sister…was…_not_…**WORTHLESS!"**

The rage within Zero's heart awoke once again, the same rage that prompted Hisui to move against the man who killed his sister. At once, a massive wall of psychic energy ripped from Zero's body, removing the hold that Mewtwo had upon him.

"**What?! What is this power…comparable to my own?! In a Human?! Impossible? How DARE you?!"**

"Here's how…"

The two began radiating psychic fields. Mewtwo's dark purple aura, against Zero's sickly black, born from his rage.

"I dare it…"

Suddenly, Mewtwo was forced to take a step back. Shock on its face. **"Impossible…dwarfing my own…"**

"…you take it!"

With a single movement, the deadlock was broken, the two fields collapsing in a wide arc of mental force. The ground beneath them rippled and cracked as their wills collided…and Zero's prevailed. In an instant the moment Zero's foot touched the ground, he vanished in a burst of movement.

Moments later Mewtwo's world erupted in pain as Zero's fist slammed right between its eyes.

"_**END OF STORY!"**_

Clutching its nose with one paw, the now enraged Psychic prepared another assault, only to find a flaming foot slammed into its gut.

"**This can't be!"**

Akiha had performed her species' signature move, Blaze Kick. She flipped backwards, evading the torrent of lightning that rocketed from Ikazuchi's twelve prongs. The psychic Pokémon had no chance to defend, its mind being assaulted by the rage of Hisui. Distracted with fending off Hisui's mental assault, Mewtwo was unprotected against the massive grip of Tiamat, Zero's Dragonite. Its body was slammed repeatedly on the ground, where it was engulfed in a double torrent of flame launched both by Akiha, and Kohaku. Rocks crashed against its body as Hisui dropped her mind-rape and proceeded to hurtle massive boulders at Mewtwo.

It whirled around, sensing an attack from behind…only to find itself being pulled from all directions.

"**No! NOOOOOOOO!"**

Zero had slammed a master ball in its face, the powers of the strange godly orb wrapping around the legendary psychic…and trapping it within…

* * *

The scene shifted. The group now found themselves atop a grassy field under a moonlit sky. In the distance, a castle, resembling Sinnoh's Pokémon League building rest. Sakura petals flowed through the air like snowfall, as Zero fiddled around with a blood red rose.

Nobody could speak. Surprise evident on their faces at what they just saw…and confusion. They all saw the brief flash of memory…and all of them wanted more information, Cynthia especially…

"Hey, kid…you took out Team Rocket a few times?"

Zero looked up.

"Which time Jenny?"

"I heard something about a sick situation involving Slowpoke…"

"Ahh…yeah…that. Man…you people love seeing me pissed off…alright."

The world distorted again, as they were brought to another memory…

* * *

_Again…it spikes. Yes…I know this power. This is the one who silenced the Earth, and calmed the Sea. This is the power of the one who woke the master of the Sky._

_Perhaps…this human can fix things…perhaps…he can change this world…_

* * *

_Dammit I told that idiot to cease all operations! Am I gonna have to choke a bitch?!_

**Calm down master. We'll get to the bottom of this.**

Zero had found his way into Azalea Town's Slowpoke Well. A very displeased and worried town member had mentioned that things had been going a bit strange since those odd people in hats came.

The well…it wasn't just a well.

_It's a bloody frickin cave…what is this some sort of nuclear strike protector?_

**It does seem well maintained master…perhaps Team Rocket had been here longer than we thought? Maybe they didn't get the message.**

The young dark skinned man and his partner Gardevoir lowly made their way through the underground passage. _I doubt that. Giovanni is- …what the hell?_

**I hear it too master…these are the psychic cries of a Pokémon…we must be getting close.**

The two silently ventured farther down the path. Zero held out a hand to stop Hisui as he faintly sensed a presence before them. The two bent their heads around a corner and spotted a lone rocket with his back to them. Zero nodded at Hisui, and the psychic Pokémon glowed for a moment as a transparent field of power wrapped itself around the Rocket member. With a single command, his windpipe was crushed, the rocket dropping to the ground slowly, with Hisui's psychic assistance, as he choked to his death.

Zero nodded again and the two continued. They only stopped for a brief moment when their path was blocked by a small body of water. Zero looked at Hisui, who nodded and enveloped the two in her field. Zero grasped his long time partner's hand and the two trotted across the water's surface, much to the surprise of everyone beholding the memory.

"How the hell did you do that?!" Sabrina questioned. She was quite possibly the most powerful psychic in the world, and even _she _couldn't do something like that.

"Practice. Lots and lots of practice. I'll explain later. Just watch."

Hisui collapsed the field, silently recalling a time when such an act was draining for her. They hopped down a small entranceway to a much deeper portion of the well. It was there that they found a series of Slowpoke mulling around, their tails missing.

Zero found himself growing angry. _The bastards…I'm not like one of those weirdoes that think that Pokémon are sacred or anything…but there's no real point to cutting off a Slowpoke's tail! All it's used for is their evolution!_

**I'm just as confused as you are master. I wonder why they came here of all places…the Seafoam Islands, even Kanto's Safari Zone has them in spades…**

_Nobody said these people were smart Hisui._

Hisui placed a suggestive field around the two, one that said that there was nothing moving in the area. They moved on.

Finally, they reached a location with a large amount of Rockets. The bulk of them were in this one section of the cave, some of them hauling Slowpoke out of the water, some of them with large blades in hand, chopping tails off.

"Tell me…" The field dropped, and the rockets immediately went on guard.

"Is there a point to this? Outside of money? I mean, are these things like some sort of male enhancement product? Or perhaps a fertility drug?"

"Who the fuck are you?! How the hell did you get here?"

"Calm down Jake. To answer your question kid, it's all for profit. Seeing as you're here…with a Pokémon I've never seen before, it's a safe guess you've met our group before."

"Yeah. And I kicked your leader's ass. He told me that he was disbanding Team Rocket."

"BULLSHIT! OUR LEADER-

"Jake! Shut up. I don't know what makes you think we'd believe that a kid like you could beat our-

Zero blinked. The sheer stupidity of these people, the pointlessness of their actions, it baffled him. Not only that, but a sense of betrayal rose in his heart…and with that a great rage. Hisui glowed for a moment, and one of the rockets was suddenly impaled in the eye by his own knife…arm still holding it. The Rocket Grunt leading the group froze in mid-speech, immensely shocked at the move. That shock turned to rage as she and her fellow rockets called out their Pokémon.

Immediately the horde of Zubat, Rattata, Ekans and Koffing emerged, only to halt as both Zero and Hisui sent a psychic pulse into their minds.

"**You have one choice. Your masters are performing horrible acts upon your brethren. Do you remain with them, or do you choose to flee, and be spared?"**

The Pokémon responded by charging at them.

"…so be it."

Hisui glowed, and in an instant, all the Rockets' Pokémon were launched against the far wall. She sent out a second pulse…and Zero closed his eyes in displeasure as a loud squelching noise filled the well, as all the rockets' Pokémon were crushed by her psychic force.

"…you…you killed…"

"You people don't play by the rules. When dealing with you, why the hell should I? You give humans, groups that collect Pokémon in general a bad name! I've seen things you worthless cretins wouldn't imagine beyond your wildest dreams! All that fills your minds are thoughts of money and power! Well no more."

Both he and Hisui began radiating their psychic fields, though his, while boosted by his rage, was nowhere near as strong as hers. It was then that something odd happened.

The Slowpoke began gathering, their eyes unusually focused. They all padded over to Hisui and Zero's side, something that Zero noticed, growing confused as his own field began fading due to the lack of focus. Hisui just blinked, and stepped forward. As she did, so did they. The Slowpoke glowed their own pink aura, as Hisui glowed her jade green. She pointed at the rockets, and as one, they all released a psychic blast that tore the humans to shreds. Blood flew everywhere, the walls and ground caved inward as massive craters appeared, tables burst into fine powder, bodies were crushed, shredded and simply mutilated beyond compare…

* * *

Zero stepped out of the well, Hisui behind him. He knocked on the door to his client's home. The door opened.

"You might wanna have a few hard stomached people head down there. Assuming you don't want to have your well water remain Rocket Soup."

All he got in response, before he turned, was a widening of the eyes.

"Let's go Hisui. I've already got the badge from this place…"

* * *

Everyone was stunned. They stared at him, he who was sitting on the grass of the strange field that they kept finding themselves on when a memory ended.

"…Z-Zero Shinzaki, you are under arrest for-

"Tell me officer…do you like this city?" A dark purple haze had appeared around Zero's right hand.

* * *

_A spike…he is displeased…I know not how I can tell his emotions…but he is unhappy. His power grows with every moment…but…he is still unstable…I am not certain…_

* * *

"Wh-what?"

"Well?"

"Y-yes. What does-

"Then you wouldn't want anything to happen to it, correct?"

"…Are you threatening me?"

"Yes. If you attempt to arrest me, that will confirm my suspicions that Canalave City Police Department is involved with, and sympathetic to, Team Rocket. And if so, then, seeing as I'm the only one who has the balls to go against these groups, it falls upon me to enact justice. Which means most likely wiping out the city and everyone in it, for fear that any one of them could be a Rocket, and could pose a threat to the world itself." The haze grew stronger, as the illusionary world began to flicker and distort.

"I-…"

"So tell me, Officer Jenny…" Here he stood, the illusionary world vanishing and returning everyone to the private guest wing of the Pokémon Center…where everyone noticed that Akiha and Shiranui were prepared to strike. Zero's eyes hardened, as the haze around his hand solidified into a near pitch-black orb.

"Are you a threat to the world?"

* * *

_I understand now…he has lost so much…he has been hurt so deeply…pain like his is not uncommon…but few ever obtain the power, the focus, he has. He is the one I seek. But…I must prepare him…I must see him…and to do that…_

* * *

Ash was livid. "What the hell is your problem?! Are you saying you'd slaughter innocent-

"There _are _no innocents. At least, not if my suspicions are right. And it's all up to _her _to decide if they are or not. Tell me Ash, do you consider a town of people to be more important than the rest of the world? A town of complete strangers who have near to no impact on your life in any form? A town of people that could quite possibly be hiding another man-made Pokémon, one possibly even _stronger _than Mewtwo? Or perhaps they have a device to control one of the near God-Class Pokémon? Are you willing to risk the safety of the world, nay, your _family_, just for a bunch of potential innocents? Are you willing to put your _mother _your _friends _in that type of danger?"

Ash was stunned. Zero was deranged…crazy…there was no doubt about it. The events of his life made his vision jaded, broken…but at the same time…he had a point.

Jessie and James had proven, Rockets, when given the proper motivation, were sneaky and very well thought out people. They could be anyone, anywhere…and only the lowest of the low, or the highest of the high, went around making it obvious who they were.

"I…"

Sabrina was amazed. This kid…this teenager, had not only somehow managed to wield his psychic powers in ways she'd never thought of, ALONG with his Pokémon…but he had the balls to go up against one of the worlds most renowned police families.

It actually didn't surprise her in the slightest when she felt a tingle in her heart. Oh the things she could learn from him! The things she could DO with him! …the things he could do to her…now that she thought about it. She didn't know a thing about this 'aura'. A power that a Pokémon never seen in her region, could wield…and now this kid could do it too? He took training to a whole new level…

_We gym leaders could learn a thing or two from this kid…_

"So…what is your answer Officer?"

"I…" She was torn. Her duty said to arrest the unjust…but…he only slew people and Pokémon that were a threat to the world…then again, what constitutes a threat? _The Teams. They've been breaking the laws of every region…Aqua and Magma…even Galactic almost destroyed the world…hell Galactic almost wiped out the fundamentals of the universe! Would it be right…would it be __**Justice **__to detain the one person who saved our world so many times…even if to do so…he had to break the same laws as they did?_

"…Have you…ever slain an innocent?"

"…depends on what you classify as Innocent."

"Someone who was in no way, shape, or form, involved with illicit acts."

"…" He paused for a moment. He had to think about that.

"**No, he hasn't."**

"Hisui?"

"**All of our kills…all of the lives we've taken, they chose their paths freely. Master, further proof would be the one woman. The one the Meowth called Angela. She questioned her actions, and you let her live, despite her being one of them."**

"…alright. Then your answer is no."

"…then I have no reason to arrest you. You did what…what you had to do…even if I don't like it…even if I don't agree with it, and even if the other officers wouldn't agree with it…you did what we couldn't, and brought Justice upon them. I don't like your methods, I think they're disgusting…but…it's true…the best way to stop a problem is to remove the source entirely."

The orb faded. "Well said." He picked up the egg from Chihiro's hands. It felt warm, perhaps it would hatch soon. Akiha faded into a red beam, the strand of energy lancing back into her Pokéball.

* * *

**I sense your intentions Elder. I don't know if relying on a Human will be helpful.**

_The battle he fought within the Realm of Nightmares was impressive. He defeated you, even after you'd weakened him considerably. This one is our only hope. The Four Golems have not been activated, and without them our defense against the Almighty One is weakened._

**Is the Lord truly planning on erasing this world?**

_The Almighty One seeks to repair the Imbalance. Unfortunately, that may mean the end of our kind…We must try, and this human is our best bet._

**What is your plan?**

_Things could have gone differently. In fact, they should have. I have a plan…but…_

**You're stuck in a cave aren't you?**

…_yes. And while I have no doubt that he can prove his worth in this world…I am stuck at half power. He must gain the ability to bring me to full strength, should he seek to stand against the Almighty One…_

* * *

Zero stepped out of the Pokémon Center, squinting at the sunlight. The others filed out after him, noting the constant shimmer between stark white and black.

"Hey…Zee." Sabrina started.

"What is it Sabri."

"What's with your hair?" He blinked, pulling a strand to his face, noticing nothing.

"What are you talking about?"

"It keeps flickering between black and white."

"…white…the stress of…things…caused my hair to turn white at a young age. I've been using a suggestive field to make the world believe my hair is black…it's much easier to stay unnoticed that way. I must have slipped up."

It was then that he fell to his knees, one hand clutching his egg, the other holding his head. Sabrina dropped as well, gasping in surprise at the sudden invasion of her mind. Shiranui flinched, while Hisui almost collapsed entirely. Chihiro stumbled, also clutching her head. The other, non-psychics reacted.

"What's wrong with you all?"

**THERE YOU ARE…**

"A…voice…really strong…"

**Come…to me…**

The pressure lessened from their minds…as it focused on Zero's. "Man…that hurt…Zee! Zee what's wrong?!" Sabrina crawled over to him, as he shuddered from the massive waves of power being flooded into his mind.

"Hurts…"

**Come…**

His eyes widened as he felt all the barriers he'd put up suddenly shatter. A powerful wave of force erupted from his body, sending Sabrina, and his released Pokémon, crashing away from him. A deep inky black shadow grew underneath his body.

"What the heck is that?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it! Pikachu!"

"PI!"

"Thunderbolt!"

"Piii…kaaaaaa…"

The yellow mouse charged its attack. Sparks of energy shot from its cheeks and circled around its body.

"CHUUUUU!"

A massive bolt of electricity was erupted from the rodent, only to be deflected by the shadow as it curled around Zero.

"O…k…that's new."

The shadow engulfed Zero entirely, beams of white shot out of it, taking the forms of the Pokémon he had on him…before a massive wave of power ripped out of the shadow.

Shiranui had been radiating her aura to counter the shadow's presence…and it was working. When the wave came, she tore through it, and jumped into the shadow, hoping to rescue her friend.

The wave overloaded the minds of all present…knocking them unconscious…

* * *

It took forever, but here it is. It's not as well polished as I wanted it to be, but now, the really crazy parts can start. There's gonna be a bunch of time skips though…

D&S Master: God this took forever to build up the will to write. I finally did it. And now, the really interesting bits can begin….I'm debating whether or not to get a DS emulator for Platinum so I can go through the game again…I kinda don't wanna…I guess I'll have to use my memory.

Hunter 1: In this fic, I'm using the Game continuity as a base, with a bit of the anime thrown in. In the Game continuity, the Teams are like, super groups basically. So many people say that local police forces have problems with them. It's probably because they're lax or whatever. I'm kinda hazy on it right now, but the fact that the Teams have put the world in danger so many times is going to be a recurring thing in my fic. Of course…that's assuming Zero is still able to fight…


	5. Rewiiiiind

Ten years.

That's how long she'd been stuck on that beach. Sure, she could visit the town, but that was as far as she could go before she felt herself fade. Nobody could see her, even when she stood right in her path, the only effect she had upon them was to make them feel a sudden cold chill. Unpleasant but not threatening, so she went ignored.

She cried.

Every night, she cried. The little girl clutched her knees, staring at the waves that once scared her. She drowned, you see. She used to fear the waters after that…but time passed, and she realized the water couldn't do anything to her anymore…and it became less scary. Rain passed right through her, snow was untouched; the sand on the beach where she drowned went undisturbed by her footsteps.

Ten long years. She'd be nineteen now, had she survived. From what she overheard it was a narrow thing. If only a few seconds hadn't been wasted, she'd still be alive. She imagined herself as a teenager sometimes. When she did so she'd find herself changed, matching her thoughts. It wouldn't hold for long, but still, to her, it was refreshing that she could at least appear her true age, if only to herself.

The Pokémon sensed her, of course. Those strange creatures, perhaps mutated animals, tied directly to the heart of the world, they could sense spirits like her, wandering souls of the lost. It was a pity no psychic Pokémon lived in the area, or one could have helped her move on to the next life. She thanked her lucky stars that no Ghosts or Dark Pokémon existed either. While not all of them were malevolent, they did have access to powers that normal human spirits could only dream of, so her continued existence, as tired as she was of it, would be at risk.

There were some days she wished one would show, just to put her out of her misery.

She sighed, sitting on one of the many rocks over the ocean. The beach was devoid of humans today. She'd found out that for some reason the climate was shifting, it was just the barest ending of summer for this region, yet there was snow around. Therefore, it was too cold for anyone to be thinking of going for a swim.

At least, she thought so. Her gaze fell upon a prone body lying in the sand. It wasn't there before; she thought to herself, so she deftly slid off the rock and 'walked' along the water to it. As she grew closer, she felt strange. That odd vanishing feeling she got whenever she strayed too far from her death origin, arose within her heart. She was about to panic when she noticed a strange looking egg next to the prone, unconscious body. The egg was being pinned beneath a brown skinned arm, and she knelt next to it, noting that the pulling sensation was strongest near it.

Gathering her courage, she reached out to the egg…

* * *

**What is it you seek?**

_Life…death…existence…erasure…all of these things…and none of them._

**You seek Purpose.**

_Yes…it is Purpose I lack._

**You seek Definition.**

_Yes…Definition for my remaining time._

**Join with me. Let our consciousness become one.**

_One…_

**One mind.**

_One body._

**One soul.**

_One life._

_**One Purpose.**_

* * *

Images flashed through her mind. Images of the man before her, a man who'd lived a life much harder than many adults could claim. A Savior. A Hero. A Killer. A Destroyer.

He was everything, and yet he was nothing. He lived life the way he chose, abided by his own rules, and took responsibility only for the actions he made choice of freely. One who had lost everything, and gained very little.

Her heart went out to him. He who shared the same desire as she. He wished for an end to his suffering, but dared not leave behind those few he had come to love as his own family. She felt the love within his Pokémon, within his heart, and felt herself resonating that feeling.

She knew what she wanted, and she wanted to spend her existence with him. She didn't care who he was, or where he came from, though she knew everything. His past wasn't what she wished for, but his present, his future.

She wanted to be a part of it.

She felt her own memories being watched by the soul growing within the egg, and the connection forged between them. She saw the end of Her life, as the soul saw the end of the child's.

They both desired the same thing. Purpose. And they both realized the same goal.

They wanted to be with Him. They wanted to love Him. They wanted to protect Him.

And nothing would stand in their way.

_**Was yea erra echrra mea lonfa an yorr. (I will be eternally happy to resonate my soul with you.)**_

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter IV: Reset**

"uugh…"

Zero groaned as he slowly woke. He rolled over, vaguely noting that there was a soft, grainy substance beneath him.

_I'm…alive? And on a beach…apparently._

He sat up, slowly. _Hurt like a mother though…damn, hope I didn't break anything…_

He looked around, realization hitting him.

…_where's my egg?!_

He shot to his feet, swinging his head around left and right, scanning the golden sands for his egg. He was on the verge of panic when he felt a soft flump hit him in the back of the head. He whirled around to meet the grinning face of-

"A…Misdreavus?"

It giggled at him.

"I…wait…are you…what was in…"

It giggled again, before scrunching up its face.

"Whoa hey what are you-

A pale violet glow surrounded it, and it seemed to morph into the form of a small girl.

"…it took Zefie months to get the hang of that…"

The girl smiled at him, then sighed, pointing to its throat.

"You…can't speak in that form?"

She nodded, then tapped her head. He tilted his, confused. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, and placed it where her heart would be.

"You want…me to…uhh…get in your head?"

She nodded again.

"Oh I get it, you want me to stretch my mind to yours."

She nodded once more.

He sat down and closed his eyes, relaxing himself. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted he couldn't feel Hisui, Kohaku, or Chihiro. It was quickly pushed aside as he was assaulted by images from the girl's past.

After what felt like years, he opened his eyes again.

"So…you're now my new Misdreavus…merged forms of what was left of Zefie's soul, and the girl, Miranda's?"

She nodded solemnly.

"Alright…I…it's…a lot to take in right now. Please, don't be offended if I seem a bit…coldish. I don't mean to, really it's just…"

She placed a finger on his lips, shaking her head softly. He gave a sad smile to her.

"You understand too well…alright then. I need to check my things Miranda."

She violently shook her head.

"What? What'd I do?"

She pointed to her and shook her head.

"…something…wrong with you…uhh…are you hungry?"

She shook her head violently again.

"Ahh alright, alright, please just…calm down Miranda."

That triggered another shake, and it dawned on him.

"Oh…I get it. You don't want me to call you Miranda…huh?"

She nodded.

"…I see. You're not Zefie, but you're not Miranda either. And you aren't exactly someone else…more like a fusion. So as a new existence, you need a new name…am I right?"

She nodded.

"Uhh…hmm…" He pondered for a moment. He cast his eyes around, hoping to find anything that could help in naming her. He didn't want it to be just some random thing out of his head; he wanted it to be special. It was then that he noticed his seal case was open, and a few stickers had fallen out. Two a's, an l, and an m. Absently, he picked them up, shuffling them around.

"How about…Alma?"

* * *

It had been an hour since he named his new Misdreavus. She'd reverted to her normal form, unable to hold the girl's look any longer. He mused she'd probably be able to hold it longer as she got stronger, considering she was basically just born. To be official, he picked out a Pokéball from his pack, and tapped her on the forehead with it. As soon as she was "captured" he let her back out.

"So if there's any serious danger, I have a quick way to get you to safety. Plus, I can get around pretty quickly even without a bike, and I don't want to end up leaving you behind."

That got him a wet kiss on the cheek. It seemed this new Misdreavus was already just as affectionate towards him as Zefie was. Thinking of his lost 'sister' still brought pain to his heart, but that void was being filled by Alma.

She also helped avert a mild panic attack when he finally realized he couldn't sense any of his three girls. For the first time, he felt scared and alone, before Alma quickly gathered her spiritual presence and practically shouted in his head. The fear vanished fairly quickly after that, as she'd reminded him that he **wasn't **alone.

She wasn't the three girls, but she was still someone, and that counted in both their books. He fumed for a while, as he took stock of his situation.

"All my money is still here…same Pokéballs…I have everyone's but they aren't in them…I guess I'll just put them in a separate pocket. Still have my supplies…I don't have the bike anymore though, which will make traveling take a tad bit longer…oh well. Got all my TM's though, same with my HM's. When you get a bit stronger, remind me to skip the wait and just teach you Shadow Ball, ok Alma?"

He got a bobbing motion from the floating head next to him.

"Oh hey, the spare Dusk Stone…I'll keep that out of reach for now. I want you to get used to your new body for a while before I take you to the next level."

Another 'nod'.

"Vitamins…remind me to give you a few bottles of these in a few days. They'll help you get back up to speed quickly. I don't know how it feels, but I have the sneaking suspicion that you've got Zefie's memories, and it's gotta feel very restricting not able to be right back at her level."

She nodded again.

"ID, Pokédex…supplies…badges are gone…dammit…alright…let's think about this for a moment."

He sat down on a nearby bench. The two were just outside of Sandgem town.

"A very powerful presence cuts through my barriers and surrounds me in a deep shadow. I wake up, the egg's hatched, and I'm missing my badges and all my Pokémon save for you. Somehow, I went from Canalave City to Sandgem, with my Pokémon vanishing in transit, or possibly before. Alright…what say we find out what day it is."

Alma tilted herself to the side, signifying her confusion.

"I'm weird like that Alma. I like to get the most ridiculous possibilities cemented as not applicable before I move on. This way, I can prepare for more sensible things. For all I know I've been sent back in time or something. I mean, I DID tangle with Dialga and Palkia…"

She nodded as her partner, master, brother…whatever you wanted to call him, got up.

* * *

The two took the light trek to Sandgem proper. Upon entering the town, the two got some curious looks from passerby, but otherwise were left alone. Zero reasoned it was probably a combination of his hair, which he'd not bothered to re-illusion, and the fact that Alma was basically perched on his head like a very odd hat.

"Having fun up there?"

She made a noise of affirmation.

"Figured as much."

He spotted a familiar face.

"Hey, Dawn!"

The black haired girl looked around in confusion, wondering who was calling her name.

"Over here, the guy with the weird hat."

She looked to where Zero was, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'm sorry…do I know you?"

Zero frowned slightly. _Alright…maybe time travel isn't so far off an idea._

"We've encountered one another once or twice, I'm not surprised you don't remember me." _I hate lying, but she'd flip if I told her the truth. And I need information, that means I can't completely be myself…_

She nodded, that seemed about right, as he did appear slightly familiar to her.

"I've been…out of touch with things lately." He weaved a small suggestion that his pokétch didn't exist. "Could you tell me the date?"

"Uhh…yes…its August twenty-seventh."

"Year plz."

"Umm…" She looked at him funny. "Two-thousand-nine?"

_Ok…so I __**did **__go back in time. Goddammit Dialga. When I get back there you and I will have words._

"I guess that sounds about right. Shouldn't you be with Ash though?"

"Who?"

…_she'd been traveling with Ash since then. That means…oh hell, don't tell me I'm in a parallel universe!_

"Exactly."

"Umm…what?"

"Hmm?"

She blinked, entirely confused by the conversation. Which was exactly how Zero wanted it.

"I'm sorry, we got off track. I haven't even introduced myself. Zero. Zero Shinzaki."

Her eyes widened. "As in…three times champion of three regions Zero Shinzaki?"

_It should be four. I'm going to have words with Palkia as well._ "Yeap. That's me."

She looked at him oddly. "Wasn't…his hair _black_?"

"Once. Then…events happened and it turned white. But white's not very common and I preferred being unnoticed unless I need to be, so I generated a mental suggestion to the world that made everyone think my hair was black. Being around psychic Pokémon for so long kinda opens up those possibilities for a person."

She nodded. "I'll have to take your word for it. I've only just recently gotten my Pokémon a month ago."

"Piplup?"

"Yes actually…how did you-

"You always struck me as the graceful water type."

She didn't know why, but she felt herself blushing. "I…uhh…thank you." Indeed, it was a great honor to be praised like that by a celebrity like him.

He noted the rosy hue her cheeks colored and thought it looked good on her. _Interesting, I never harbored any form of interest in her before…oh poo, it must be my damn adaptation trait kicking in. I'm stuck in an alternative universe where I and my exploits exist, but things are different than before. Not only that but I've been sent backwards in time, __**without **__my family, and none of my badges. I can only assume that means that everything that happened, didn't yet._

_My life blows._

"Aren't you usually with a brunette though?"

_Fuck, she's the observant type._

"Yeah…I don't…she and my other Pokémon besides Alma here," he pointed up to his head, where the Misdreavus nodding off scrunched her face up in a hello. "seem to have vanished."

Dawn gasped. "I don't suspect foul play…well…alright I do, but not by any human activities. I found myself on the outskirts of town following a very unusual set of circumstances, and can't help but wonder if whatever power brought me from where I was, to here, kept my Pokémon behind."

"Unusual circumstances?" Here, they found themselves walking together, towards the Pokémon center.

"Let's just say a big ball of black took me from Canalave to the beach here, and knocked me out before it did."

"I see…that is rather strange. But…I'm sure everything will be alright."

_And there's her trademark line. Never change Dawn._

"Yeah. It just…when you've spent as many years as I have, connected to Pokémon with psychic capabilities, it's a very **very **jarring experience to suddenly find them missing from your mind."

"I don't think I understand."

"Imagine you living your entire life with a full head of hair. And then waking up one morning being completely bald."

She flinched. Girls loved their hair after all. "ok, now I get it."

"It's like that. Only rather than hair, it's…feelings? Presences maybe? Try to imagine feeling a strand of…something…connecting you and your mother. The bond between parent and child. Now imagine that strand, that known comfort, gone."

She paled. "I can…see how that would be rather painful."

"Exactly. Alma's beginning to pick up the slack, but she only just hatched about an hour or so ago, so it'll be a while before she's as big a presence in my mind as they were."

The two had sat down at a table. The center was fairly empty, save for a few trainers waiting for the nurses to finish healing their Pokémon.

"So what about you? What were you doing before I ran into you?"

"I'd just come from Professor Rowan's lab. He was looking for a few able people to help him in his studies of the land and Pokémon. He gave me a Pokédex of my own, so I could record some data while I traveled."

"Alone?"

She gave him a look. "I can take care of myself."

He sighed. "I've no doubt of that my dear." He caught her slight flush when he called her that. "It's just that…" He looked around, noting a few people close to him, he threw up a psychic suggestion around them that told the world they were simply chatting about the odd weather.

"There's this group. They call themselves Team Galactic. They've been going around causing trouble all over the place. Now the majority of them are weaksauce. Grunts with weak Pokémon that can be taken down with simple tactics. But they travel in groups. They've got no problems getting physical with people, and no offence, but you don't look like you could take on a few fully grown adults and win."

She wanted to feel indignant…but he was right. She simply lowered her head.

"Hey…I'm not saying you shouldn't go. I just wanted to warn you about them is all. Just…if you see anyone with a cyan blue bowl cut hair style, got he other way if you can alright? I know you wanted to travel around to the different contests, maybe score some badges for the hell of it along the way. I just want you to be careful, ok?"

She nodded. "I understand."

"That…was quick."

She giggled slightly. "You're Zero Shinzaki. **THE **Zero Shinzaki. You've given me more advice and knowledge than anyone else of your status would, and you did it all for free. I'd be a fool not to take the advice of the one who took on both Groudon **and **Kyogre, and _**won.**_"

He chuckled. "Yeah…I guess when you put it that way…"

"What about you? What are your plans?"

"I'm gonna stick around here for a bit. Have Alma get used to her body and such. Teach her my special brand of training against the local Pokémon. Then I'll probably head out to Badge Farm. I've done some research," _Buuuuuulllllshiiiiiiiiit. _"on the gym leaders. I'll have to gather a few more allies, but I think I can make short work of them."

_First thing's first. Take on whatever leaders I can. Block Galactic whenever they pop up. Then work on getting back home._

"Oh…" She looked a bit downtrodden.

"You wanted me to come with you didn't you?"

She snapped up, flushed. "What? N-no! I just figured if you were heading out as well I'd just tag along…"

He rose, stretching. Alma yawned and floated off his head, bobbing in the air next to him.

"I didn't scare you did I?"

"N-no…I…well…I'd be lying if I said what you told me didn't add to what nervousness was already there…"

"How about this…you stick around for another day or so, and I'll give you some pointers on battling. I know contests are more your thing, and totally not mine…but I've seen a couple of them. You've obviously got the fashion sense, but I think I might be able to help you add a bit of spice to your battles, since style is just as important as victory in a contest."

"You…would do that?" She couldn't believe it. Zero **fucking **Shinzaki was willing to teach her? It was a rookie's dream come true! Hell she'd even heard some adults wondering if he'd teach them his tricks.

"Got no reason not to. Alma needs to take on a decent opponent now and then anyway. Can only spend so much time practicing against wild ones."

Her eyes brightened.

_Should I? She __**is **__cute…and not much younger than me really…_

"Besides…it'd be a nice chance to get to know you better."

Her eyes widened at that. _Is he hitting on me? For real? _"I'd like that."

She smiled at him and took his offered hand.

* * *

_**Oh yes…she will be good company for our beloved. The Raven Psychic would be a far better match, but…this one is closer to our Beloved's age. The Raven Psychic will just have to learn to share.**_

_**Soon Beloved. Soon we shall be able to speak with you again. We too have no idea what force brought us to this place…but we will be with you every step of the way as you seek a way home. The taint of Shadow is still among you…perhaps that is a clue…**_

_**Fear not Beloved. We shall be your eyes to the world, when you cannot see. We shall be your Ears, when you cannot hear. And we shall be your voice, when you cannot speak. We will gladly assist you in your conquest of these human competitions.**_

_**Hold fast, Beloved. We foresee a long road ahead…but we shant ever waiver.**_

* * *

**A/N**: Huh…I didn't expect to forge out an entire chapter. Here I was just planning on writing a little bit…

Yes, Zero and Dawn is a possible pairing. Dawn in the anime is 10, which is a shitty age to put her. In this, she's fifteen, with Zero being around…what…sixteen? Yeah, that's not too bad. She'll have just hit fifteen too, making it a bit wider range.

I hope you all enjoyed my depiction of a lost wandering soul. Alma will continue to grow in strength, able to wield Zefie's moves in no time, along with making up some of her own. This story will skip around a fair bit though, so expect to have Pokémon randomly show up where they didn't exist before.

Hunter 1: Well…despite Zero being an offshoot of myself, given the things he's had to deal with in this story, before his trainer days, he'd been practicing to defend himself. Being around his Pokémon though, he was able to learn and harness that energy for himself, first as just mild psychic acts, from Hisui, and eventually Kohaku and Chihiro, but then after he met Shiranui, he learned how to manipulate Aura. And from there his skills grew. Imagine if Ash took the time to actually physically spar with some of his Pokémon, and if he'd let that Lucario teach him how to wield Aura properly, he'd be a massive force to be reckoned with.

D&S Master: No questions this time? Well I'm sure this chapter will create a few. Thanks for the praise though. This story isn't too high on my priorities list, but whenever I get struck by an idea for it, I'm jumping on it. Like now. It's currently 5 AM, and I've been typing since four. I meant to jump in on Muramasa about two hours ago, but went from a VERY late dinner straight to reading, into a sudden burst of idea for this fic. So yeah, I've been at it for a while. Didn't expect to pop this out all in one go…


	6. Insanity

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter V: Breaking Dawn**

(BGM: No More Heroes - Season of the Samurai)

_It's funny…_ He thought. He and Shiranui were making their way back towards Veilstone City. They'd been on the road for a couple days now, making incredible time, considering that this time around, Zero only had to stop at a town to rest for a little bit, before moving on. Whereas last time, he would be giving impromptu lessons to his Pokémon along the way.

_After all this time…you'd think me to be somehow…obviously troubled by these events. But…I've killed so many people…I've done so many things…_

_I claim to do it in defense of the world itself…which has some level of truth to it…but really…_

_I just want a safe place for my family. I need to get back. If it weren't for Alma, and the others…_

_I know…I'd have gone nuts by now._

He found himself lost in his thoughts, his body on auto-pilot as the two ascended the mountain path, bouncing from treetop to treetop, cutting through the snowy wastes over Mt. Coronet.

* * *

_Odd…the Gym didn't look like this last time…_

Gardenia. He remembered her because she had a little known fear of Ghosts. Her gym didn't look the way it did last time though. Now, it had a giant flower path, one that his brief mental touch upon the lone aide said was shaped like a clock. As he entered the room proper, he saw the brunette standing at the far end of the room.

"Well, a challenger. Welcome to the Eterna City Gym. I am Gardenia, leader here. Your challenge is as follows. Behind every trainer in this room, is a switch. Each time a switch is pressed, the clock hands will rotate. The trainers will press their switches when you defeat them. Flip all of the switches, and the path will lead to me. Understand?"

…_loophole. Let me just make sure she doesn't see it._

"So…the switches **all **have to be pressed, in order for the path to lead to you?"

"Yep."

"And that's…it?"

"Uhuh. The switches are hidden though, only my trainers know where they are."

"So all I have to do, is make sure all the switches have been hit, then I can automatically fight you right then and there?"

"Yeah." _Jeez, what's with this guy? I said that like, three ti-_

**Click-wrrrrrrr…**

Her mouth dropped open.

Zero had closed his eyes and reached out with his psychic field, searching for the inorganic objects in the room. She was right; the switches were well hidden by the plant-life. Whether she intended such or not, the faint pulse of life coming off of the flowers coating the floors and walls would have made searching difficult…if not for his practice looking for inanimate objects. For you see, if an object has no life to it, it will be represented upon most psychic's senses as a blank space. Empty air, so to speak. Most people would pass over these spaces…but Zero was one of the better learned ones. He purposefully sought out the empty spaces within the plant-life, and pressed the switches.

He strolled forward, confident smirk on his face, Alma (in human form) at his side.

"I-you-what?!"

"This is the thing that I did by pressing buttons."

"You…you cheated! Get out of my-

"Just a moment. You only stated the rules to be that the switches themselves had to be pressed, for the path to shift. All switches being pressed would lead to you. As I understand it, your rules were that only when all switches were pressed, would we be allowed to challenge you directly."

"I meant you had to fight the TRAINERS to do it!"

"But you didn't say that. You only said that the trainers knew were the switches were, to press them. Not once did you make it part of your rules that one had to fight the trainers to press the switches, only that the trainers knew where the switches were. Now…unless you'd like for me to report to the League that you've basically lied about your rules, which I _do _have witnesses about…" _Haha, this is so friggin funny. Last time I literally DID have to fight everyone in order to reach her! She said it outright; nobody got to fight her until they beat everyone else! Not only that, but she hid herself, only showing up once everyone else was beaten._

Gardenia stared at him. She really looked him dead in the eyes.

She was pissed. No doubt about it. Not just with him, but with herself. _This guy…_ He was smart. Smarter than anyone she'd been challenged by so far, and she'd been challenged by Psychic trainers.

_He's right. Dammit he's right. He didn't break any of my spoken rules, because the one where he was __**supposed **__to fight the trainers wasn't said. I simply assumed he'd think like everyone else. I can't refute his challenge now…just because he outsmarted me._

"Alright. Alright…you have a point. Let's do this."

* * *

She just stared at him, as he caught his leaping now-human Misdreavus in his arms, smiling at her. She watched as the now little girl went for a piggy-back ride on him, as they left her gym.

He'd trounced her soundly. And with only one Pokémon no less. She'd never encountered **anyone **with his tactics before. He barely said a word to his Pokémon, simply making gestures that were neigh impossible to decipher, along with spouting random irrelevant phrases, that only Misdreavus-no…Alma, her name was Alma, understood.

It was bad enough he even said she was the only Pokémon he had on him. But then she got his name.

**Zero Shinzaki.**

_EVERYONE _knew who he was. Gym Leaders from all four major regions would gather sometimes, and speak about prominent trainers. Every single one from the three other regions had spoken about Zero. He was the three-times over champion of three different regions; he had an extensive history of defeating **Legendary **almost god-like Pokémon…

And the death toll…

Gardenia shuddered, something that didn't go unnoticed by the trainers, who had been stunned by the battle.

_He's apparently slaughtered hundreds of people and Pokémon alike…but only when they were under a Team. And with the Pokémon, only when they refuted his attempts to spare them. He's a killer. A murderer…but is he really?_

_I've heard some of the nasty things the Rockets have done. Sabrina damn near crushed Giovanni's head like a melon when she found out HE was the leader of Team Rocket. And the Aqua's and Magma's…even though their leaders aimed to set things right with the world, after their horrible mistake…_

_Such a young kid…having to face down two literal Behemoths…and wake up a Third in order to stop the first two…and then having to fight all three anyway? Insane…it's no wonder I got beat so badly…_

"Hey…boss…are you alright?"

Gardenia was broken from her musings. "I…yes. Yeah…I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look a bit pale…"

"Was it that guy?"

"Uhh…kinda…"

"He's strong."

"So was his Misdreavus."

"I've never seen anyone battle like that."

"Listen…if he doesn't make champion I'm stepping down."

"WHAT?!"

"But he's just a kid!"

"You didn't pay attention to his name did you?"

"Why's that important?"

"His name is Zero. Zero Shinzaki."

Eyes widened all around.

"That was…"

"Yeah. That's why…if he doesn't make it, I'm giving up my title as leader."

"But why?!"

"…you all know…I don't like ghosts. Watching him fight…watching him with such rampant faith in Alma…made me want to grow a damn spine. If he doesn't make champion, I'm stepping down, and moving into the old mansion in the forest."

"Oh my! But that place is-

"Filled with spirits. I know."

"But why?"

"He's done so much. Too much. He's still just a kid, and already he's not only traveled the world, but he's **saved **it. Those stories, the rumors about him taking on Groudon and Kyogre, waking Rayquaza, tackling some of the others like Lugia and Ho-oh? All true."

"HOLY-

"Yeah. Someone like that…they're the stuff our legends are **made **of. If **he **fails? No point in me trying anymore. I admire him y'know? Every time we gathered and some other region's leaders had new stories about him…he's a celebrity and nobody recognizes him until he tells them his name. If someone like him…if he's defeated by someone here? Then what does that show? It shows that even he needs more training. And if that's the case, if **he **needs more training, and he's a three times over champion? Then that says I definitely need more training. He came here, with one Pokémon. Just one. Out of all the Pokémon he could have picked, he picked a Ghost. He read through my spoken rules, and found a loophole due to an assumption **I **made. Not only that, but he brought my one weakness. Not my Pokémon's weakness, **mine.** He beat me, entirely. He knew everything about me that he needed to know to completely and utterly **destroy **my attempts to keep him from the badge."

"Boss…"

"What if he makes it?"

"heh…then I'll just have to ask him to help me conquer my fear now won't I?"

* * *

"Can I help you sir?"

He'd made it to Hearthome City. After dealing with some Galactic members in Eterna, he had continued on. Remembering that last time around, he had to wait to fight Fantina, he thought of just passing through, but then realized, if he at least showed interest, she'd know someone was looking to challenge, next time he came through.

"Yeah…I'm looking for Fantina. I heard the Gym was closed."

"Anozzer challenger zen." The flamboyantly dressed woman made an appearance. "Verry well. I shall be vating at ze gym non? Let us get zis over quickly yes?"

_I…wait what? Huh…that's odd. Oh wait…parallel universe and all. Right…things might work differently here. Alright, that just makes things a bit easier._

_Wait…didn't I hear something about someone with an Eevee around here…?_

* * *

_Damn…we've got the pressure on her, but she's nothing to scoff at when it comes to ghosts. Dark Pulse is out…you're not yet ready for that. It's impossible to smack something hard into them cause they can just phase right through it…_

**What if I head butted her?**

_The Magius? Shit I dunno. You're a ghost, so it might work. It'd at least take her by surprise…but what the hell would we do after?_

Ducking under a modest sphere of wispy violet, Alma continued her evasion game against Fantina's Mismagius. In Zero's arms was a light brown furred fox. The Eevee, he'd received from a woman in town, who claimed she wouldn't be able to raise it properly.

Unknown to him, the transport between worlds slightly altered his control levels over his psychic field…so the Eevee was slowly becoming enveloped within it. Similarly unknown to even the Eevee itself, its body was quickly adapting to the field, and was very close to triggering something.

_Wait…that's it. Ghosts have natural resistance to Psychic Pokémon because of their nature…but they still have consciousnesses, minds. I've not once called an attack for you to use._

**I think I see where you're going with this…**

_Make her mind say one thing, while her instincts say another. In the time created by the confusion as she figures out what to obey, strike. We've probably only got one shot at this so make it count!_

**On it!**

* * *

All of them.

He'd beaten all of them.

Three Pokémon, a Jolteon, an Espeon and a Misdreavus. Three Pokémon took out twenty.

Zero turned to the owners of the restaurant. "Sorry about the mess." He smiled at them. Grabbing a pad and paper, he scribbled down an address and some phone numbers. "There's a place, in Johto. This guy does _really _good wood work. He's got a lot of stuff that can easily replace anything I broke. Give him this name, and tell him I said to put it on priority. He'll give you a discount, then just send the bill my way."

He waved and left. The owners stared at the pad, surprised that _anyone _would just walk in, challenge every trainer, wreck the place, leave a piece of paper and some instructions and walk out.

And then they saw the name.

"ZERO SHINZAKI?!"

After that, any ire built up, left.

* * *

_Oh this will be fun. Another challenger. Let's see how he…fights?_

Oh Zero saw all the people. He just didn't care. Pressing the first switch he saw, the water level in the Gym rose to its highest point. Noting that the leader was all the way across the room, blocked by high walls and stair cases, Zero saw that he was on the exact same level of land the Leader was.

_Cake._

Zero walked forward.

_I could simply walk across, but they don't expect you to be able to do that, nor would they think of someone using Surf. But then again, he's probably had challengers that saved him for last, so it's probably some rule you can't use surf in his gym to skip the puzzle._

_Even if it's not, I prefer my way._

Crasher Wake stood, unmoving, unflinching, unspeaking. This boy…was making a bridge of the wooden planks used to cross between sections. But…he couldn't call him out on it.

He was breaking and re-forming the bridge, plank by plank. The rules state one is not allowed to physically remove the planks, or make a line of them from one end to the other…

But he's not doing either. He's _psychically _lifting individual planks, one at a time, and taking one step after the other.

_This kid…found a loophole. Damn, I can't WAIT to see how he fights. This might be the guy Gardenia was talking about!_

* * *

"…how…did you…how did that…why…"

_I think I broke him._

"Think about it. Nobody truly understands how the typing of a Pokémon works. But there's one truth. Electricity, if it has enough potency, can penetrate and even melt stone. What I thought was this: if Quagsire, a water/ground combination, can nullify electricity, how does its brain work? And then I realized, maybe it's not _all _electricity, just _outward_. With that in mind, I figured I'd give a shot to an idea, use an attack to cover Quagsire in objects that penetrate its flesh, down to the muscle, and then light it up."

"…that was an experiment?"

"Something like that. I figured, since nature itself says that with enough power, electricity can destroy the very earth beneath us, there's got to be a loophole with Pokémon as well. I figured since Quagsire is quite obviously an organic creature, with a brain, muscles, and heart and lungs or something equivalent, there's a possibility that if an object is placed into its body, reaching its muscles, and used as a conduit, an electrical charge from outside its body could reach _inside._ And cause damage."

_And here I thought no electric attack would ever work on my Quagsire…_

_His Jolteon…no…__**He **__is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. I am impressed. It would seem I have more to learn. Kudos to you, Zero Shinzaki. You have truly earned your fame._

* * *

_Damn, we're surrounded, and his Lucario is exhausted. Looks like I might have to let loose…_

Zero had made it to Iron Island. He remembered there was a light Galactic presence there, and decided to do something about it. Once again, he met up with Riley, a man wearing a very interesting outfit. He only seemed to have one Pokémon, and that was a Lucario. The two worked well together…but they didn't have Zero's Regions of experience.

* * *

_This feeling…_

A blur raced along the mountainside.

_I recognize it. It is…familiar…_

Rocks crumbled beneath its feet as it dashed to the source of its senses.

_I must see…if it is…_

* * *

However, due to the constant fights, Riley and his Lucario were now tired, their movements sloppy. Zero was still going strong, not even using his Pokémon, just his bare hands to take out Galactic members and Pokémon alike. But they were now surrounded. While not a threat to Zero, they were to Riley, and because of the older man's presence, Zero would have been hard pressed to launch a proper attack, out of uncertainty of if he might cause some sort of seismic activity that may endanger his temporary accomplice.

Let it never be said that Zero is Disloyal to his allies.

Zero was prepared to take the risks…when the cave began rumbling. Not settling from his stance, Zero cast his eyes around carefully, subconsciously minding the fearful looks on the faces of everyone else.

It was then, that a familiar presence invaded his mind.

_**TSUUGA!**_

_That's-_

A whirl of white erupted from one of the cave walls. Its form, that of a spinning, drilling shape, shredded through three of the Galactic members before Zero and Riley. Seconds later, the form shifted to that of a white and black Lucario, which then delivered an Aura charged kick to the back of the head of yet another Galactic member.

For a moment, Zero was stunned. Too many emotions, too many thoughts ran through his head, before he forcefully blocked them all out, and joined the Lucario in battle.

Fists and feet, Paws and claws went flying through the air at blazing speeds. People and Pokémon alike were pummeled, punched, kicked, sliced, thrown and even poked as the two shocked Riley and his Lucario partner with how well they battled together.

Zero would deliver a sweeping kick, which was followed by the White Lucario leaping over his head to deliver a double footed drop kick to its target. Caught by its paws, it would then be sent flying to the side, into another group of Galactic members, flaring with Aura and tearing through them as if they were nothing.

Every movement was met with an assisted movement; the two flowed together like twin streams of water, completely in tune, never wavering.

* * *

"So, Shiro. Ready for this?"

"**This should be cake master."**

"Should…but we know what he's probably gonna start with."

"**Remember, you trained me with Ikazuchi. I know how to handle his ilk."**

"True, true. Just keep moving though. See if you can keep them in the air."

"**That…might be difficult."**

"Consider it a test of strength."

"**Very well. I shall attempt to."**

* * *

After a harrowing experience involving a Magneton, knocking his Bastiodon off the platform and _repeatedly burning it as it dropped to the ground, before crashing upon its back, _and running along the walls to chase down and repeatedly engulf in fire his Steelix, he'd lost.

"Mother **fucker**. That…that was insane."

"Yeah…happens like that whenever I fight."

"No wonder you took out Groudon with a fighting style like that…"

"Actually…I didn't start thinking up stuff like that till _after _I left Hoenn…"

"…you've earned this, kid."

* * *

After showing up a Galactic Admin, spending some time at the now exploded Lake Valor to have Alma assist the souls of the dead properly depart this plane, something he noticed made her a **lot **stronger, heading to Lake Verity to help take out the Galactic presence there as well, he found himself wandering the snowy wastes on his way to Snowpoint City, a place high in the mountains on the other side of the continent. A land where snow was nearly perpetually falling and coating the ground.

Trainers heads snapped to the side as he whizzed by, bounding along, barely making an indent on the snow as he used some of his psychic power to lessen his overall weight. He ran along mountains, and bounded between tree-tops, all on his way to reaching the city next to the final lake that Team Galactic had decided to attack.

* * *

_Another challenger already? Man, we just finished fixing up everything…thank god Lorelai taught me that trick, or I'd have to had closed the gym for a bit._

Candace, Gym Leader of Snowpoint City stood waiting at the edge of a chasm. Well, it wasn't really a chasm but…her gym was covered in ice, all which lead down to a small space at the bottom of a series of icy hills. Along these hills were giant snowballs and small spaces where snow covered the ice.

So far, only one person had successfully navigated the ice, and trainers, to reach her, and she was interested in seeing how this one did. He surprised her right off the bat, by happily sliding down the ice like one would a ride at an amusement park. Her ears perked as she was barely able to make out his muttering.

"Now I remember why I like this place…annoying to solve, but damn fun just to slide around…"

He looked up at her and smirked.

_Wait…cocky smirk…white hair…usually travels with a little girl…_

And then he jumped. Her eyes widened as she saw him _leap _straight at her, landing in front of her with a small poof of snow. She stared, shocked.

"That…must have been ten feet…how…"

"Awe man…"

She blinked. He seemed to be unhappy. "What? What's wrong?" _Seriously, this guy just cut out the entire point of my puzzle, what's his beef?_

"I forgot you were this cute. It's gonna make kicking your butt suck."

Romantic at heart, Candice couldn't help the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks. She'd been propositioned before, but it was always a slow, steady process. This guy shows up, skips her puzzle, then straight out calls her cute?

"You've got guts, I'll give you that. I thank you for the compliment, but flattery won't get my badge that easy."

"Badge? I was trying to get in your pants, but a badge will probably last longer."

She couldn't help it. Her cheeks flushed at his directness, and somewhere inside her, she was indignant…but for the most part, his tone was what set her off.

She burst out laughing.

"Aren't we a little rude one?"

"We? Last I checked your name was Candice, not 'We'. Oh dammit don't tell me I messed up somewhere."

She shook her head. Whether he was intending it or not, he was cutting the tension in her Gym quite effectively. She'd heard of Team Galactic, and their actions, and noted that they weren't too far from the city now. The whole town was rather tense…but this guy…

She calmed down and gave him a smile. "Thanks, I needed that. Well, you know my name, and obviously you came here to battle. You skipped my puzzle…but since that was just set up to test people that wanted to get to me, I'll let it slide, cause technically you _did _succeed."

"Ahh, loopholes. Don't you just love them?"

"Sometimes. Well, I've got four, so that'll be our limit, ok?"

"Fine with me." _Wanted to have Shiro take on the majority…but I have an idea._

* * *

…_what IS he?!_

Sneasel was taken out in one shot. With a call of 'Shiranui', a single aura charged palm strike sent her Pokémon into the far wall. Hard. She gasped at the speed and intensity of the attack. All she saw was a blur of white before a loud crash.

Piloswine didn't fair much better. His very unusually colored Lucario stepped back to his side as "Ayane" appeared in a flash of light. Thinking he chose poorly, she'd had her Piloswine try to simply trample the Espeon…before it was halted by an invisible wall. Though visibly struggling the Espeon loosed a very loud cry, before Piloswine was lifted off the ground, its legs still running beneath it, bellowing fearfully. In rapid succession, Piloswine was slammed against the ground, snout first, no less than five times before Candice _saw _the invisible field around him shimmer with power as its body was sent rocketing into a wall. Thankfully, it didn't break through…but the wall would definitely need to be repaired later.

Part of her was angry. But the majority of the feeling she got was fear. He had an expressionless look on his face, quite contrary to the goofy pervertedness he'd displayed earlier. Shakily she called out her Abomasnow. Its presence calmed her slightly. Anyone who got this far was usually taken down.

She was wrong about this one though.

With a single call of "Ziodyne", a Jolteon appeared. Small scars marred its form, permanent keepsakes from its abusive previous master. She gasped as she saw the multitude of fading red lines on its body.

"Light him up 'Dyne."

With a growl and a nod, the yellow spiked creature flickered from view, crashing into her Abomasnow with reckless abandon. Before she could call out to her Pokémon to tell it to watch out, Jolteon had latched onto its back, using a makeshift mutation of Pin Missile to hook its quills into Abomasnow's fur.

"**THUNDER REIGN!"**

With a loud growl, Jolteon's body began sparking dangerously. Bolts of electricity began arcing between its quills as it flared its power to full. The light in the gym seemed to be sucked towards Ziodyne as it loosed a massive wave of electricity, point-blank at Abomasnow's back. After the lightshow faded, Abomasnow was face down on the ground, its body loosing small bolts of weakening electric power. Ziodyne shook its head slightly, shaking loose the dizzy spell that always accompanied such an attack.

She could do nothing but stare in horror. Each Pokémon she called out was taken down with minimal effort. She was down to her last, one she was almost too terrified to call out. They weren't dead, but holy hell it was close.

"F-Frosslass."

The Ice/Ghost combination Pokémon appeared. One of the rarest type combinations in the world. Only one species boasted it, and only the females could reach it.

"Alma." The little girl who'd accompanied him stepped forward, blurring into the form of Mismagius.

_Oh…__**FUCK.**_

Her face dropped blank. All her emotions drained out of her as the realization hit. She could do nothing as the Mismagius seemed to smirk at both her, and her Pokémon, before a massive wall of dark energy ripped from her body.

She'd one shotted Frosslass with Dark Pulse.

Candice dropped to her knees.

"You…you're…"

"Sorry."

She looked up at him.

"Well I am. Fighting you evenly…would have taken too long. There are really important things I have to take care of…"

She nodded. Rumors were flying around the League; Zero Shinzaki had arrived to Sinnoh, and was thwarting Team Galactic left and right. None of them had wanted to impede him when they found out who he was, but rules were rules.

Not that it mattered. If what she heard was right, he'd started out with just the Mis-…no…Alma. He'd started with just her. Then his Espeon, Ayane. Then somewhere along his journey he'd come upon a Jolteon…and most recently that strange Lucario.

Nobody knew where his original team was, the Pokémon he'd conquered three whole regions with. But they knew one thing. Even with only four Pokémon, he was still the best. But he was quiet about it. He was world-famous, but nobody knew he was there until he decided to make his presence known.

"Here…Icicle Badge. You've earned it."

He nodded and turned to go.

"H-hey!"

He looked back.

"Do…do you think one day…when you aren't busy…" She wanted to learn. He was **powerful**. So powerful it was scary. Gym leaders…they were respected, but at the same time, treated like a joke, among the stronger trainers. She wanted…for most trainers she was the seventh. Two steps from the league. She wanted…to reduce the number of people that blazed past her. So many would just pull out a fire or fighting type, and decimate her.

"After I leave, head for Veilstone. I still have to take on Maylene. Call the other Leaders, what ones that can make the trip before I get there. I have a specific request for her gym fight…and I think it'll be an interesting show."

Candice perked up at that. She'd been wanting to visit the girl anyway…this was just a better excuse to close the gym for a bit. She nodded, the smile slowly returning to her face, as he turned and left.

* * *

_I gotta stop daydreaming. It's only a few more hours till Veilstone._

Picking up his bag, he nodded to Shiranui, and the two took off again.

* * *

"Whoa…uhh…what are you all doing here?"

Candice smiled at the surprised look on the little pink haired girl's face.

"I guess he didn't make it yet."

"…he who?"

Wake laughed uproariously. "Why, young Shinzaki! He informed Candice here that he was going to challenge your gym with a special request, and that we should come watch in person."

"Shinzaki? Who's that?"

They all blinked at the girl. Volkner sighed and answered. "He's the three times champion of multiple regions. Not only that, but according to the other Leagues, he's put a stop to the actions of three terrorist groups, and calmed incredibly powerful legendary Pokémon."

Gardenia nodded vigorously. "He's been trouncing our gyms left and right. The only ones left are yours and Sparky's."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"Probably around fifty."

"Well…I've never seen-

"Wha-hey! You made it."

They all turned. Zero was garbed specifically in a black fighter's gi, hair tied in a short ponytail behind him. He wore sandals which he kicked off and placed to the side of the doorway.

Immediately Maylene stood at attention. _This guy…_ She'd been training with her Lucario since she was a young child. While still very young, she'd not had the closed-mindedness many of her adult tutors had, and the workings of Aura were open to her. Her senses screamed danger, that the person in front of her could crush her like an insect, and not even notice. She noted the Lucario at his side.

"I've never seen a Lucario like that."

Zero glanced at his partner. "Yeah, Shiranui's one of a kind. I met her in the mountains, wild. She taught me a few things about Aura, and in turn, I taught her what I knew of martial arts, which wasn't much. We've spent a lot of time together. It wasn't until recently that she decided to travel with me, as my official partner. Before, I'd only 'caught' her for a bit, so that way others couldn't interfere with her training."

Maylene nodded. While her hackles were still raised, so to speak, hearing him tell his story relieved her of some tension.

"The others say you wanted to pose a special challenge to me?"

He smiled. "Yeah. We're both martial artists, and we've both trained extensively with fighting Pokémon. I wanted to pose this challenge. Me and Shiranui, against you and your Lucario. Trainers would fight as well. A sparring match, so to speak."

"And if you won, you'd get the badge. That could work…but how would we determine the winning side?"

"Well, I figured since both human and Pokémon would be fighting, both combatants on either side would have to be knocked out, or in some way yield, for a victor to be determined."

Even with her youth, Maylene saw the danger in that. But at the same time…something clicked.

"And you want it between us and our Lucario, because both of us know how to handle the strikes of one, should a human combatant fall."

"You catch on pretty quick. Yeah, that was my idea."

"I like it. I haven't fought against an actual person that wasn't already a member of this gym for a while. This would be a good test for me."

* * *

Arriving at the Pokémon center, Zero was approached by the Nurse Joy that worked there.

"Are you…Zero Shinzaki?"

He tilted his head, confused. "Yes. Can I help you?"

"A girl came in about an hour ago, she asked I give you this."

"Ahh, thank you."

She handed him a letter, smiled, and returned to the desk.

_**Zero,**_

_**Team Galactic stole my Pokédex. You're challenging Maylene right now so I'm going to get it back. When you get this, some help would be nice.**_

_**Dawn.**_

Zero was about to sigh at the girl's forwardness when he was assaulted by a sudden headache. Closing his eyes, he was treated to flashes of scenes that he in no way had control over their creation. He saw Dawn, surrounded by Galactic members. He saw her Empoleon being defeated. She was grabbed. Now tied up, with a horrified look on her face.

His eyes snapped open. His heart began pumping faster. She was in danger, serious danger, and he was the only one around to help. The police would take too long, and he didn't know if the leaders had still been around or not. He shot out of his seat and raced out of the Pokémon center, startling the other patrons.

(BGM: Dissidia Final Fantasy - March)

Without any command, Ayane and Alma shot out of their Pokéballs, while Shiranui leapt off the top of the Center, where she was meditating. She sensed her partner's sudden descent into a vision, and linked minds with him. She tripped.

His mind was so cluttered! All she could get was the sound of a **VERY **loud alarm ringing in his head, like old war klaxons, and a feeling of the black haired girl that was traveling with the Ketchum boy.

Still, she followed his blurring image, as he unconsciously tapped into the speed techniques he'd been practicing for the past year. The three Pokémon trailed after the lone human who had practically bounced from hill to hill, on his fevered pace towards the Galactic Storehouse.

* * *

She should have waited.

That was one of the few thoughts running through Dawn's mind, as she tried to scream through the gag in her mouth.

Tears were freely streaming down her face, as she shuddered, helpless, bound, and pinned by the tallest Galactic member in the room. Penelope was stuck in her ball, horribly injured by the unexpectedly brutal attack on the two. Her other Pokémon had been taken, put to a side room, away from her call.

She felt a sudden breeze, and her eyes snapped open.

They'd cut open her top.

_I'm NOT EVEN FIFTEEN YET!_

Her eyes widened as she realized what these sick creatures, for they could no longer be called human, were preparing to do to her. Her blood ran cold, her body froze in place as her mind finally accepted what it was she was trying so very hard to deny.

Blood pounded in her ears. They were speaking, but she could hear nothing beyond her own racing heartbeat. She could do nothing. Arms tied over her head, legs bound open, as her nether regions were bare for the world to see, for they'd stripped her of her panties long ago.

Her mind went blank at the twisted smile on her captive's face. The woman grinning as she slipped the knife under the younger girl's brassiere.

And then everything changed.

* * *

There was no warning. No pause in his movements. The door was an obstacle. It had to be removed.

With a loud crash, a pulse of Aura slammed into the iron gateway. Once. Twice. And finally a Third time.

He was still ten feet from the door.

Shiranui was impressed. Even she needed a few seconds to recharge after firing off an Aura Sphere. But Zero, fueled by his emotions, launched three of them in rapid succession.

And he wasn't even winded.

The metal doorway flew open, as the corrosive effects of the negativity he was channeling eroded the door, he ran into the building.

* * *

Three loud bangs. One after another, as if someone had taken a shotgun to the doorway. Before they could turn, the door had been blasted open. They whirled to it, some reaching for knives hidden in their belts, others reaching for their Pokéballs…but not a single one would complete the action.

She saw only a blur, dashing around the entire warehouse. She was on the far wall, facing both the entrance and the back, so she saw the blur bouncing around for all of two seconds.

And then it solidified into a man holding a gleaming silver blade.

* * *

It all stopped.

No. It didn't stop. Not really.

But for him, it did. He was moving faster than sound. Wielding the power known by trainers as ExtremeSpeed. As the sound of the boom created by the door flying inward reached the Galactic member's ears, he was already in, and on the move. From the Enclosed Space around his body, the invisible, intangible field of distortion created when he took a Spacial Rend head on, he drew a short blade. Roughly the size of a wakizashi, his hand wrapped around the hilt and swung. Before him stood a man.

A leftward swing with blade held like dagger, in a reverse grip. Spinning on his heel he repeated the motion, at the man's legs. Standing, he repeated it at the man's neck, before curving his arm downward as he made one more rotation, and bringing it up to cut diagonally up-left through the man's torso. He flipped the blade in his hand and cut down-left, creating an X motion.

He moved on.

The next was immediately cut through the neck, before he spun on his left heel, which had touched the ground first, and he reversed his motion, cutting with a normal grip through the torso. He flipped the blade back around, stabbing behind him before flipping it forward again, and cutting down-right through the chest.

He hopped forward, past that one.

This one, a female, was sliced straight down the middle. He went with the motion and cut down-right, turning it into a horizontal swing from left to right after normalizing his grip after the last, before turning it into an up-right motion. After creating what would appear to be an asterisk on the woman, he jumped to the side.

Another man was in his path. A normal grip, up-right motion, followed by an up-left motion. From that he whirled his arm over his head, throwing his weight into the next swing, which was a vertical slash through the neck. Spinning, he continued, this time a vertical swing through the chest, then legs, and ending with a slice through the ankles.

This trend continued, Zero bouncing from person to person, delivering a multitude of slashes in various ways before moving on. As he did so, his speed increased further, the world slowing so much around him it seemed as if time itself had ceased.

Finally, he ended with the woman pinning dawn to the wall.

First, he sliced through her arm. Then a left to right swing through her skull. Another spinning motion causing more slashes through the neck, upper chest, stomach, and then knees before he slashed upwards twice, first to the left and then the right, making another X motion. He then flipped his blade around in his hand, holding it like a normal sword, before reaching to his back, and drawing another, much longer blade. This one, a normal sized katana, was brought down vertically, but after the swing, he shifted his weight so he would twirl slightly on his feet.

This motion had him slowly cutting segment by segment through the woman's body, before he sheathed the katana and spun horizontally again, this time slicing through the areas he didn't get before. Upon ending his spin, he stopped moving, arm stretched out, holding the blade normally.

He stood there, for a moment. As if waiting for something. Then, in a flashy display, he twirled his blade around in his hand, before sliding it into its sheath on his back.

* * *

The second he completed that motion, as if the clicking of the blade locking into its sheath were a sort of signal, the Galactic member's bodies _**exploded.**_

Not in the booming mist sort of way, but their bodies literally ripped themselves apart at the seams, where Zero made his cuts. This was brought about by the fact that he'd been moving so quickly, the distortion of air created by his movements slipped into the small cracks in their bodies made by his cuts. These air pockets grew and grew with each swing, swelling like a whirlpool within the small creases, until it all settled, which caused nature to realize itself, and the tiny pockets of air to violently dissipate, forcing their body parts to separate rapidly where they were cut.

Normally, if one were to cut a person's hand off, the hand would either drop to the ground like a rock, or go flying. The reason being the movements made as the hand was severed. If the hand was stationary, it would likely drop. If the hand was in motion, it would continue until gravity took hold and pulled it back to the ground.

And then there was option three. If a body part is severed after massive levels of pressure is built within the location being sliced, like say, a blood build up, or in this case, pockets of swirling air linking together and filling space, the body part would be sent rocketing due to the pressure build up, much like shaking a bottle of wine, and then popping the cork.

In a spray of blood and flesh, the entire interior of the warehouse was coated in red. Scraps of clothing fluttered to the ground as the life force of nearly every living being in that room splattered over the walls.

Dawn had a few moments of consciousness, where she flinched as she was literally **drenched **in the blood of her captives, before her mind shut down from the trauma.

This was how Alma, Ayane, and Shiranui found him. Surrounded by blood, flesh, and cloth. He was untouched, for the psychic field he was radiating as he moved only faded **just **after their bodies exploded.

"**HOLY FUCK!"** Shiranui exclaimed.

Normally, such an outburst would cause some sort of reaction from Zero.

There was nothing but silence as he moved towards Dawn's blood drenched form.

Ayane's eyes widened as her nose picked up such a heavy scent.

**I believe I will remain outside, master. Not to sound…rude…but if I enter; my fur will have bloodstains for weeks.**

Zero said nothing. Alma floated over the massive pools of red and tapped the Pokéball containing Dawn's Empoleon. In a flash of light, Penelope stumbled to her feet, slipping on the blood soaked floor. She looked around and saw Zero untying her mistress, to which she waddled over as quickly as possible.

As Shiranui saw the state of the girl, her anger flared. Her body was surrounded by a pale white glow, as her Aura fired up.

"Peace, Shiro. This place must remain as is for the time being. You can go all Amaterasu on it later."

Reluctantly, Shiranui reigned in her temper, and instead grabbed the girl's Pokédex from the table next to her. The group deftly stepped out of the warehouse.

"**They have gone too far this time Zero."**

"Indeed. Penelope."

The penguin looked at him.

"Alma, Ayane, stay with Penelope and Dawn. Penelope, take Dawn to the Center as fast as you can. Ayane, have Nurse Joy call the police. Alma, you and Ayane will translate anything Penelope needs to say to them. Tell them that the Veilstone Galactic Building is going to be wiped clean. Let **nobody **save for myself or Shiranui remove Dawn from the center. Ayane, if she wakes up, knock her back out. She **must **remain unconscious until I return, and even then, after Penelope cleans her. In fact, as soon as the police see her state, Penelope, I want you to take her to the closest bath you can. Alma will accompany you. Alma, at that time I want you to temporarily grasp hold of Dawn's thought processes. Block the last two hours from her memory, help her clean herself off, and then knock her back out."

"What if someone gets in the way?"

"Then you have permission to remove them. Permanently, if needed."

Alma nodded.

**Master, what will you be doing?**

"Shiro and I will be removing Team Galactic from the face of the earth. After that, we're gonna interrogate the leader about his methods."

"**We must free the Emotion Trinity."**

"Yeah. We'll set the pixies free once we find them. Alright. You have your orders. Godspeed."

The three Pokémon nodded and took off for the center, as Zero and Shiranui doubled back and re-entered the storehouse.

* * *

Everyone heard the explosions. Normal people, and police alike raced out of buildings to see an Empoleon carrying a blood soaked girl, being flanked by a little girl with black hair wearing an outfit similar to a Mismagius' body, and an Espeon.

Roark couldn't make it, and Byron was on Iron Island, making sure the mountain was stable.

But every other Sinnoh Gym Leader raced out of the gym, their conversation amongst one another halted by the explosions. People had crowded around the three Pokémon, blurting questions, commands and other rabble.

Ayane had enough. She'd been given a direct order, and she was _not _going to let her master down. Her body flared with a light purple energy, as her eyes glowed fiercely.

"**ENOUGH! Be silent and stand aside! This girl must be taken to safety immediately! My master has given me permission to remove any and all obstacles in our way, so LEAVE before I turn you into a fine red paste!"**

Alma nodded along with the Espeon, her own body beginning to radiate a sickly black. The police stepped back, as did the rest of the crowd. The rumors were true; Zero Shinzaki had indeed come to Sinnoh.

One of the officers spoke. "We-We have questions-

"**And answers will be supplied in time. For now, we must secure this girl. Stand aside."**

The officer nodded.

"Oh my god!"

Candice's hands shot to her mouth as she gasped in horror at the sight. Dawn was drenched in red, the liquid dripping from her body. Immediately Volkner took off towards the scene. The others followed. As the trio entered the Center, Ayane clearing a space to lay the unconscious Dawn on a long table, the Leaders and the Police walked in. Gardenia was the first to their side.

"Alma what happened?"

Ayane nodded.

"Take note. The Galactic Building in this city is going to be Cleansed."

"WHAT?!"

There was one officer; a Jenny who had been informed of Zero's exploits by her other family members. If Zero said he was going to Clean somewhere, that meant all life within that area was going to be wiped out. He'd done it twice before, when dealing with Team Rocket…and the sites were never pretty.

"You understand then?"

"But…all those-

"**Those **_**THINGS **_**almost raped the girl here. Your kind has let them have free reign for too long!"**

"This is true. He's going to fix your mistake, so stay out of his way. You seem to know his methods, so you know you'll just be seen as an accomplice."

Maylene was confused. "He wouldn't…hurt an officer of the law…would he?"

"If it seemed like they were helping his enemies, they'd be wiped. He's seen too much, to not think along those lines. There have been Rockets, dressed like officers before."

She'd just had a sparring session against a guy like _that?_ Being the youngest Gym leader on record, there was still a few things about the world she didn't know about. Zero's bloody past being one.

Some of the other leaders were pissed. "Maybe we should go help."

Alma sighed and shook her head. "He'll be glad to hear of the offer, but honestly, you'd just get in their way."

"**Their **way?"

"**Lady Shiranui is with him. The two seem to have a much bigger past together than even we understand. You've seen them in a non-lethal situation; even then they are a dangerous force. Shiranui can spot people's Auras, and in the off chance there is an innocent, you might just end up with someone alive. Zero has no problems with killing, but he has reservations against cutting down those who have not dirtied their hands, even from a distance."**

Suddenly Penelope banged the floor. Dawn was waking up. Immediately Alma rushed over and began glowing. As Dawn's eyes opened, the first thing she saw was Alma. That caused a small connection between minds, where Alma was able to successfully block out the memories of the day.

"Alma? What…where's Zero?" She felt the sticky substance on her body. "And…what am I covered in?"

"Someone thought it was a perfectly hilarious idea to drop a bucket's-load of red paint on you. I think one of your rivals might be a bit of a douchebag."

"…yeah…I know a cou…ple…why are the gym leaders here?"

"**They were invited to see Zero's battle with Maylene. It was a different sort of fight than the standard. But that can wait. We should get you washed off, and a change of clothes."**

"Yeah…I've got some spare outfits in my bag. Umm…"

Alma grabbed the girl's arm and started pulling her in the direction of the washrooms. "Ayane will set something out for you and bring it. Now come on, we've got a lot to scrub out of you."

Dawn just let herself be pulled. She was told that once Alma got an idea in her head it was very difficult to convince her otherwise. But it was strange.

_Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?_

* * *

"What…what was that?"

"**That…was part of Master's orders. Alma was to forcefully lock down the girl's mind so she would not recall anything of the day. Alma will help Dawn wash the blood off her, and then knock her back unconscious until my master returns."**

"We have questions. We need to get a statement from-

"**When he returns, and Dawn's mental state is assured positive, you will get your answers. We were mandated to not allow any to remove her from this location, and **_**erase **_**all who attempt. Do not force our hand in this, you will not succeed."**

Jenny didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. This guy had basically openly said he was going to kill a large group of people, and then wouldn't even let the police gather information while he was away?

She wanted to do something…but she remembered the stories. It was basically said; he acted **for **the law, and only took it into his own hands when they literally were tied. He'd single-handedly ended Team Rocket, and forced Team Aqua and Team Magma to revert their ways and ideas.

You just don't step, to a guy like that. And she had to admit, lives were lost, but all of them had done horrible things. He'd never killed an innocent, even Pokémon were spared if they chose to refute their masters.

It made her uneasy…to have a man like that running around freely…but she had to admit, he was able to do the things they couldn't. Beat them at their own game. And it wasn't like he had his Pokémon attack already. They were warning them. Saying that, if provoked, they _would _attack, but would rather do this peacefully.

"Alright. We'll wait. It wouldn't be good to get a jumbled statement anyway."

"**If it is an occupation of time you seek, feel free to investigate the initial crime scene, though you won't likely find much."**

"Just one question…how badly did they hurt her?"

"They never got the chance."

Everyone whirled to the door, where a slightly blood covered Zero and Shiranui stood.

"What do you mean by that?"

"After I read the letter Nurse Joy gave me, I had a vision. Dawn's silent cries for help must have been loud enough to the World that my Sight reacted. They'd just gotten under her shirt when I showed up. Or at least, that's what it looked like. I was moving too fast to really notice much."

"Then who's blood-

"**Everyone Else's**."

* * *

It had been two days since then. Zero had Alma awaken Dawn a couple times, again, locking her memories, so the girl could eat and bathe. When she wasn't doing either, she was unconscious, while Zero puzzled out how to handle the coming storm.

Finally, he reached a decision. He'd have Alma filter her memories so she only remembered what happened up till she'd been captured. He nodded to himself, and woke his partner.

It was difficult to, though. She'd become a very deep sleeper, whenever the two slept side by side. Her presence kept what occasional nightmares he had from occurring, and his presence calmed her mind.

The leaders had returned to their towns, Volkner leaving with a promise to get his gym up and running for the young trainer as soon as possible.

"_It's alright. After I make sure Dawn is ok, I gotta head to Mt. Coronet. You'll have plenty of time."_

"Come on Alma…it's time we woke the princess."

Alma sat up, wiping her eyes, and then stretching with a wide yawn. She nodded and stood with her master. The two entered Dawn's room silently. He'd posted Ayane outside the door, and instructed her to coat the building in the strongest field she could, to block out any sound coming from it.

"In case the memories are too much, and she wakes up screaming."

Before him lay his charge. The form of a girl just a year his junior, a girl who'd been pulled into the bloody sea that was his life. He sighed and stroked her face gently, moving a few strands of hair. She responded with her own sigh, one of content, and leaned into his touch like a kitten. Alma grinned as Zero smiled softly. He didn't want to ruin her life with this…but it wasn't his right to keep her own memories from her. He'd always been an advocate of telling the truth, no matter how painful. Better to be in pain at the moment, and prepared for the future, than to not know, and suffer for the rest of your life.

"Ready Alma?" he whispered.

"Yes."

His hand glowed for a moment, and Dawn began to awaken. Alma weaved her magic and Dawn shot up, breathing heavily.

"Hey, hey…it's alright. You're safe."

Immediately she latched on to Zero, bursting into tears. He stroked her back, noting that he could far too easily feel her spine. _Stupid girl…she needs to eat a bit more. Don't want her to blow up but still…_

Her sobbing continued, as she tried to speak. "I'm…I'm so stupid! I should have waited for you!"

"It's alright…you were only half stupid. Yes, it probably would have been a bit better if you'd waited, but at the same time, they could have hidden it, or shipped it somewhere if you didn't."

She nodded in his chest, still sobbing. Suddenly it stopped, as she hit a realization.

"Wait…what happened? How did I get free?"

"That's…complicated."

"The truth, Master."

He sighed. "Dawn…we locked some of your memories."

Her eyes immediately narrowed at him. "Hey don't give me that. Trust me; what's locked away is for your own good. It's…horrible. I did it so you wouldn't have horrible nightmares." Seeing she was about to yell at him he held up a hand, which he didn't notice but was right on her chest. She almost flinched at the contact, but held her ground, settling for a slight flush of the cheeks, which, in the dim light, Zero mistook for her being indignant.

"But, they're your memories. I only wanted them away so we could bring you up to speed and make sure you were able to handle them."

"I want them back Zero."

"I know…I know. Just…Alma's gonna filter them in slowly. One, It'd be too much of a psychic backlash if you just remembered, and two, this way you can control how fast you get them."

She nodded, still unhappy that he'd tampered with her mind. She understood the reasoning behind it, and that kept her trust in him from faltering, but still, it's a very scary thing, when someone can get in your head.

(BGM: Final Fantasy VIII - Lunatic Pandora)

Alma glowed slightly, staring into Dawn's eyes. The black haired girl

_Flashes of a knife. Horror flooding her heart._

stared back, eyes glazing over as visions

_loud banging. Flickers of silver and black dashing through the room. Who was it? Who had entered? What was happening?_

shot through her brain, playing themselves out like

_a man. White hair. She thought it interesting how he could control the blade. Where did it come from? Was this Zero?_

some sort of video, before her eyes.

_Blood. Blood. Blood. Red. Dripping. Flesh. Bone. __Blood-blood-blood-blood-blood-blood-so-much-blood-make-it-stop-make-it-stop-make-it-stop-stop-stop-stop-stop-STOP_!

She dropped to her knees.

_It was all over her. Dripping. She could taste it. horrible liquid metal disgusting red. __horrible liquid metal disgusting red. __Taste-taste-taste-taste-taste-metal horrible liquid metal disgusting red. red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-red-BLOOD_! EVERYWHERE! FLOORS WALLS CEILING _**HER! SHE WAS COATED IN IT! IT WAS IN HER HAIR, ON HER CLOTHES IT WAS DRIPPING FROM EVERY PART OF HER BODY! RED COATED HER VISION! PIECES OF PEOPLE! PEOPLE! SHE WAS COATED IN PEOPLE! BATHED IN DEATH, COVERED IN DESTRUCTION!**_

This…was Zero.

She stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time. The blank, staring look on her face actually began to worry the white haired trainer.

And then she crawled forward.

_Zero…this is Zero. Death destruction pain sorrow suffering ****__blood-anger-hatred-blood-blood-blood-blood-grey-red-silver-crimson __death! HE WAS DEATH!_

Zero blinked as she seemed to crawl towards him. He leaned back, and she moved forward…ever staring.

_Red is the color of blood, the color of life. __**Lifedeathlifedeathlifedeath**__ it went in a cycle and I know this he knows this he is this. Death surrounds him like a veil like clothing like an old friend an old love._

Alma could do nothing. She was literally frozen by the aura emitted from this slip of a girl. _Holy…this…this pampered princess…how the __**hell **__is she binding me?!_

_I don't know death. I do know. I didn't, but I do. I was pampered I had everything…he lost it all. Death is his friend, his enemy his lover his rival it is him it is everything he is he holds it all in his hand._

Zero was now leaning very far back, starting to lose his balance as Dawn crawled ever closer. Her arms were now placed in the spaces created by his, effectively locking him in place.

_I'm scared. He can make it better. He always makes it better. He's a ****__murderer-hero-lover-hater-savior-villan-destroyer-creator_ _he is everything._

_Alone. He's all alone. He lost his__** sistermotherfatherfamily**__ he has no family he has nobody but his Pokémon ****__alma-hisui-shiranui-ayane-ziodyne-akiha-kohaku-ikazuchi-tiamat-isis-chihrio_ _only his Pokémon…_

She was on top of him now. Straddling his waist. She hadn't said a word, just staring into his eyes. He reached out with his mind, praying she hadn't been somehow broken.

He didn't expect what he got.

_**MINE!**_

His mind was assaulted by her scream in his head.

_********__Mine-mine-mine-mine-mine-mine-mine-mine-mine-mine-mine_!_ He is MINE!_

…_or am I his?_

Zero blinked. Her soft, silent breaths were now on his lips. Their faces were impossibly close. Her eyes were shimmering as her mind reconfigured itself.

They say sufficient trauma can break the mind. Some people are forever changed by events.

This was truth. And Zero was about to learn how deeply it ran.

_His…I am his. I am…nothing. I have nothing I can offer him. Myself. I can give him myself. He deserves it. He deserves everything. He deserves the world. But I'm weak…__**weakweakweakweakweakweakWEAK!**__ Strength…he deserves strength. Stronger…I will get stronger. I have to get stronger. I want to be his I want to be useful I WILL be useful._

"I…"

"'Kari?" He'd shifted to her first name. She didn't like it much, or so he was told.

_Light…my name means light. How fitting. His name…to some it means nothing…but to the smart…infinite possibilities. A free forming being who can shift to understand and adopt to any situation. The ultimate nothing…which is in actuality the ultimate everything. I never thought of this before. I was blind, a fool ****__stupid-idiot-moron-ignoramus-deluded-foolish-FOOL__**!**_

_No more. I am his. He will teach me. I will learn. I will become strong. And then…_

_He will be mine._

_They touched me. ****__Dirty-unclean-disgusting-vile-tainted-impure-UNHOLY! __But he did the same to them…he killed them. Wiped them out. He saved me. He made me pure again. I owe him everything. He warned me, and I didn't listen. My own stupidity made it happen. He saved me. He didn't need to but he did. I'd done nothing but slow him down with my questions, my stupid antics. But he taught me anyway._

_I can do nothing but give myself to him, in return. He saved my life. And now, my life is his. I willingly give myself to him._

"I…"

They were practically touching now. He couldn't move his head an inch without running into her at this point. He was basically pinned to the ground, confused, worried.

_I am his._

_What…is this feeling? Others? Am I…no…I don't have any psychic Pokémon…but…I've been around him…forever. So long…and he got them from his Pokémon…which means that…yes. It makes sense now. Just another reason why I am his. Others…yes I can feel them. Barely. A connection. They feel like I do. No…nobody feels like I do._

_But they're close. Similar. Like._

_But…I am the first. I will be the first. To say it out loud. To let the world know._

_I am his._

_And he…will be __**ours.**_

"I…love you."

His eyes widened as for a brief moment, before her lips captured his, her eyes cleared.

They were clearer than they were even before her capture.

* * *

_**It is nearly time. Something has changed. Something has been added. He will come…and I must be ready.**_

_**Come to me…Zero Shinzaki…**_

* * *

**A/N: **That last bit. The bit with Dawn recovering her memories and the…crazy…that followed. That was both possibly the most fucked up thing I've written, and possibly the most fun I've had doing so.

There seem to be a few things missing. Like Zero's fight with Fantina and his fight against Maylene. And how he got Ziodyne.

Those will be covered in later chapters.

D&S Master: it's been made official. Dawn, or at least this universe's Dawn, is in love with Zero. And somehow, her mind **breaking **unlocked a slight psychic potential within her. Alma will meet the others in due time. and I can tell you this, they'll all welcome her. Especially Hisui. Even though Kohaku was around longer, Zefie was insanely close to Zero, closer than even Kohaku. Hisui, Zefie, and Chihiro were the closest to Zero.

It was the fused-yet-separate minds of Miranda, Zefie and the newly created persona of Alma that called Zero "beloved". Because Zefie loved him like a brother, and Miranda quickly felt the same through watching his and Zefie's thoughts and life. And since Alma is a fusion of those two minds, she loves him as well.

As for his Pokémon, they were forcibly ejected from their Pokéballs before the transfer between universes. The only ones that accompanied him from his "home" universe are the egg that hatched into Alma, and Shiranui, who was warped to Iron Island instead.

I can't wait for your reaction to this chapter. Don't review it right away though; let it sit for a bit, think about your questions. I love your questions; it's always fun explaining things.


	7. Unity

(BGM: Dark Phoenix - Phantom Ensemble)

It'd only been a couple months since she last saw her, but Johanna knew that something had changed within her daughter. The girl's eyes shimmered differently than they did before, not…darker, but different. Further proving her hunch, her Umbreon took one look at the approaching Dawn and immediately dropped to its back, exposing its belly to the girl.

While not as well versed in the acts of the wild as others, even Johanna knew this was a show of obedience, a display of submission. The younger girl took no heed of the motion, giving her mother a very tight hug, before gently stroking the black and yellow furred Pokémon's underside. Dawn's Empoleon was standing just behind the girl, as if protecting her from the world.

As any mother would, she beckoned her child inside, and the two sat down for what would prove to be a long and emotional conversation.

* * *

Tears sprang to the elder woman's eyes as she clutched her child to her. She sobbed quietly; mind replaying what the girl had shown her.

Her baby had been kidnapped, and nearly raped.

In a fit of hysterics the woman tried to get her daughter to strip, to check for wounds, marks, abrasions or any remaining sign of injury or possibly worse. But with an unnatural flare within her irises, Dawn immediately stamped down on that train of thought, snapping her mother back into focus through sheer surprise.

She'd been headstrong before, a bit overconfident…but never did she have this commanding presence.

As she held her child, she remembered the back of the man that had saved her daughter. As soon as she'd heard his name, a gasp escaped from her lips, before she could silence it.

Everyone knew who _he _was. And to hear that he'd been her daughter's vicious savior, _and _was now her boyfriend? The woman had to sit for a moment. Pride, fear, and joy. Her little girl was growing up. Especially if she was right about what nearly happened.

A small part of her was a bit put off, that it had only been _nearly _the end of her daughter's 'purity'. After all, she wasn't getting any younger, and grand-children would be nice within the next ten years or so…but her respect for Zero jumped even higher, after learning that he'd literally pushed his own rampant hormones and emotions aside, for her daughter's sake.

Dawn was a bit put out though, but the girl bounced back after he said if she wanted she could split the bed with him and…whoever "Alma" was.

After letting her daughter go, she swept the large penguin up in a hug as well, one that elicited a squawk from the Empoleon. After hearing why, Penelope gently returned it. She'd failed though, were her thoughts. She failed to protect her mistress. Dawn walked up behind the large penguin and lightly bopped her on the head.

"Silly. We got beat, plain and simple. I set myself up for that crap when I didn't listen to Zero. He's right though, I do need to add some more Pokémon to our team. As strong as you are…that day showed us both, just the two of us aren't enough."

The penguin reluctantly nodded, brushing aside the fact her mistress had just read her mind. Again. The girl had been doing that for the past couple days on the road. It was weak still, but Dawn had developed a very slight skill in mind reading. Right now, she could only get in the heads of people she knew for a long time, people's whose minds were open to her.

"Mom? What's that smell?"

"Oh _crap_ the cookies!"

Her mother quickly dashed to the oven, opening it up. A wave of heat washed over the elder woman as she reached in with gloved hand and pulled out a tray of just _perfectly _made chocolate chip cookies. She had thought to take them out a few minutes ago, but the rush of emotions and knowledge pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Oooh, those look good."

"Looks like your story actually ended up keeping me from making a mistake dear. Let's have these cool a bit."

The younger girl nodded and sat down again, scratching the Glameow that had leapt into her lap behind the ear. Umbreon was sitting next to Penelope, noting that the penguin's scent had a permanent underlay of metal. At first, it thought it was due to an Empoleon's natural typing, but then it sniffed with a bit more focus, and realized what it was.

Blood.

It was faint, but the penguin smelled like blood.

* * *

Mother and daughter sat and spoke for another hour, before something occurred. Dawn suddenly clutched her head, eyes shut tightly, groaning.

"Honey what's wrong?!"

Something was reaching out to her, be it by its own will or because of its power. She heard…echoes of voices. She felt **color**. Her eyes snapped open as a scream of terror rang from outside. All occupants of the house dashed to the yard, gasping as they gazed upon what caused such fright.

The sky had become twisted, black with many colors. It seemed to sweep along, like an aurora.

"Oh my god!"

"What is that?"

"It's the end of the world!"

"What's going on?!"

Voices in town yelled out in fear as they gazed upon the warped sky.

**Riing-riiiing. Riiing-riiing.**

Johanna absently dashed back in the house and picked up the wireless.

"He-hello?"

"_Um, excuse me, but is Dawn there?"_

"Y-yes, just a moment."

She went back outside, holding the phone in front of her daughter's face. The action was due to Dawn staring at the sky, blankly.

"Wh-what?"

"It's for you."

"Hello?"

"_Dawn? It's me."_

"Maylene? What's-

"_Listen, have you looked outside?"_

"Yeah, I'm out there now. Do you know what this is?"

"_Not a clue, but I got a four way call from Fantina, Gardenia and Candice. They said whatever it was originated from Mt. Coronet, and is __**really **__strong where they are. Candice said the snow started picking up when it showed up. But all of them say their Pokémon are acting weird."_

Dawn glanced down to her feet, where Umbreon and Glameow were staring at the sky, unmoving. She nudged Umbreon with her foot, and it returned to its place. It was alive, but…

"I see what you mean…"

"_Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. They say nothing bad's happened yet, outside of the Pokémon just staring like statues, but nobody knows what's going on. Gardenia said she was gonna go see if one of the town researchers had any-oh hold on I'm getting another call."_

"Okay."

The girl stared at the shimmering lights. _Why…why do I feel this…confusion? Joy? What's going on?_

"_Dawn?"_

"What the- Candice?"

"_Yeah, Maylene's joined the call. Gardenia's here too."_

"_Hey kiddo!"_

"Did you find anything out?"

"_Not much. Only that this has happened once before, hundreds of years ago."_

"What is it?"

"_I don't know. There's no recorded name for it. Just that it's caused by someone pissing off two __**very **__powerful Pokémon."_

"_Hey, is Zero with you?"_

"No…he said he's…oh…"

"_What?"_

"He said he'd…be at Mt. Coronet."

The three girls on the other lines said nothing for a few moments.

"_Oh what the hell? A fax? Now? Oh wait…GUYS! Byron just sent me a fax! It says he found out what's going on!"_

"_Well spill girl!"_

"_Ok, there's no written name for this, but it's caused by the clash of powers between Dia and Pal. Time and Space warp as two titans wills combine."_

Suddenly there was a wave of black that washed over the aurora. Dawn shuddered as a wave of seething rage washed over her for a moment.

_What was that?!_

"_DID YOU SEE THAT?!"_

"_I did, what the hell was that?!"_

"Guys…"

The three girls on the other end focused their attention to Dawn. As did her mother.

"I think…Zero's in the middle of that."

"_What? Why?"_

"I…I don't know. It's just a feeling."

Suddenly the black vanished and the aurora returned. Before anyone could speak, the sky seemed to crack.

"_THE SKY IS FALLING!"_

"_No it's not, chicken little!"_

"_It's __**cracking **__though, Candice. That's…not good."_

"Actually…"

The cracks grew along the writhing multi-colored web, before it finally shattered in a grand display of color. When the beautiful lights faded, the sky was its natural orange.

"Apparently it was."

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter VI: End of the Beginning**

(BGM: Tales of Vesperia - A Vow of Unity)

He'd returned from his quick trip to Veilstone. Slipping through the bushes and into the small pool of water near the small mountain he leapt to the air, cresting the top of the rocky outface in two bounds. He slowly walked through the flowery plateau before hopping off an oddly placed series of wooden planks.

He'd already removed any important electronic equipment and placed them in his enclosed space, just to be safe. With a small splash, he landed, the crisp waters rejuvenating his body from the strain it had undergone to do what he did, then reach Veilstone, then make it back to the Sendoff Spring without anyone noticing him.

He had no time to rest however. He pulled out a black and green sphere, a Dusk Ball from his pocket and tossed it into the air. In a wave of murky black, a giant form towered over him. Four elephant-like legs created great ripples in the spring. A trunk like neck reigned far over his head, reaching the top of this hard to reach Mountain Lake. Two stubs were where once were giant black wings, remnants from his actions.

He felt no remorse.

The dragon looked down upon him, staring at the young man that so easily, and viciously bested it within its own home. She'd made a great mistake, injuring the Mismagius. Even now, she was still baffled at how easily her home bended to his will.

"This is going to get irritating, craning my neck like this."

The dragon seemed to nod, before a shimmering flare of light surrounded its body. It still could not access its full power, the object that could pierce reality still remaining in a separate part of her home, but she could at least perform this one action…

Even if the spot where he'd literally ripped off two of her wings was still throbbing.

She shrunk down, down, down until her height was just a few inches below his. The wispy light faded, revealing the form she'd chosen to manifest in. Ghostly white skin framed her body, as a skin-tight bodysuit made of black and grey colored leather covered her. Droplets of water dripped off of her short cropped black hair, red eyes staring at him. For some reason, red belts with gold buckles were wrapped around her upper body, Zero figuring they were to represent her red and gold stripes.

The outfit showed off an athletic figure. One that Zero found himself appraising upon reflex. She looked good, for a Pokémon in human form. Better than good actually. If he didn't know what she really was, he'd say she was definitely hot.

"Interesting. Chihiro and Alma are still cuter, but you've definitely got the sex appeal thing down. I can only assume you've been watching the human world for a while."

She nodded meekly. She had no idea how to act around him now, after what she did, and his violent retaliation. All she could do…

"…I'm…sorry."

He sighed.

"Really. For…everything."

"What is this place. What did you do?"

She wanted to push the issue, convey to him her honesty…but she realized, if he was going to forgive her, she had to start here, answering his questions.

"This is…a world untouched by Ash Ketchum."

"…huh?" His confusion was almost palpable. She couldn't help but smile at the blank look on his face.

"He's a lot like you. He's had his fair share of world-saving adventures…though yours were steeped in far more deaths than his. In this world, he was never born, which is why the climate is so different. He was involved in a ploy made by a fool to capture and control the three elemental avian. That ploy changed the balance of the Weather in this world, though Ash was successful in ending it. The world's weather patterns were never the same…until you clashed with Groudon and Kyogre. When Rayquaza awoke and put an end to their conflict, he unknowingly fixed the world's weather. In this world, the initial distortion never occurred, so the weather change was different. Rather than setting everything to normal, Rayquaza was only able to revert things to a slightly different way, which is why this region of the world is covered in snow where you don't remember there being snow before."

"…in a twisted way, that makes sense. I fixed what he couldn't, but since he never ended up in that situation originally, there was nothing to fix beyond what had popped up, and that much power messed things up in a different way."

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Why me?"

"…because I felt you. I felt your fight against Darkrai…I felt your struggles, your emotions…they…confused me. I don't know why I was able to feel them. But…there is something happening. It is…difficult to explain."

"Why not Ketchum then? You say he's done his share of world saving."

"He…doesn't know what you do. He doesn't think like you do. You're perfect for this…because of who you are. You understand things he doesn't…"

Zero had nothing to say to that. He knew what she meant.

"Where are they." It was a statement, rather than a question.

"In your home world they should be with the others. Here, they're still on Kanto. Technically I merged your body from your home world, with the you from here."

"Makes sense I suppose…Shiranui jumped you though."

"Yes, I didn't expect her to have enough control not to be effected by what little psychic field I could put out. When she jumped into my shadow form I spat her out hastily, and she ended up on that Island, where you two first met."

"Why Sandgem Beach?"

"Shiranui's presence forced me to send you out sooner than I wanted. I'd originally wanted you to land somewhere near Cynthia, so she'd put two and two together and help you…"

"And the egg?"

"You were clutching it with all your might, and it wasn't sealed in a mechanical object, so I couldn't leave it behind. It got dragged with you…and…I'm glad it did. I realize now I made a mistake in grabbing you like that."

"Damn right you did. You could have at least fucking shown up somewhere and asked for help."

"I was afraid you'd say no. At least sending you into a location where you had no choice but to push on ensured you'd at least put _some _things in motion for me." Sensing his ire building she hastily amended herself. "I know it was stupid of me. It was wrong…and I'm really **really **sorry."

He sighed. "If you didn't do that…Kari never would have been put in that position…but then again…she wouldn't have…changed…into who she is now…"

"It's…complicated…isn't it? Matters of the heart. I've never been in love, so I cannot fully comprehend what it feels like."

"…what now?"

"Now…we have to go back to the Pillar and summon Dialga and Palkia. We must get you back to your world."

"…what about the people here?"

"My plan is to combine my power with Dialga and Palkia's. Together we would combine the two worlds into one, the way it really should be."

"Doesn't answer my question."

"The people would remember both lives as one. The world would really be your home world, with traits of this one mixed in. Rather than fusing both lives together, when situations call for it memories from the other life would slip into their current, or fade."

"…it's loose."

"I know…it's the best I can come up with. Even with their help we can only manipulate reality so much…"

"…it'll have to do."

"Good, then we head for Mt-

"Not yet."

"I thought you-

"I want…to spend time with her. Before we leave."

"…I see. I understand."

"I don't know…if she'll still be her…or if the memories will break the other her, or even with the memories she'll still feel the same."

"I won't stop you. You deserve…happiness…for everything you've done for this world, willing and un."

"Good…it's not the Torn World, but I, Zero, can still knock you down, if need be."

She smiled sadly at his reference, and the truth. Despite being recovered at the Center, she was still horribly weakened from their previous battle. It would still take another day or so before her wings grew back. Even after, she wouldn't be at full strength until he retrieved the Orb. And she had no idea how to reach it from this end. Not to mention tearing a hole in dimensions was out, until she recovered sufficiently. In fact, his desire to spend time with Dawn worked in her favor.

"Do you…know where she is?"

"It's been a few days. She said she was going to stop by Maylene's gym for a bit, then head home until I got back. She should be at Twinleaf."

The girl nodded to him as he passed by her. She noted not a single drop of water had touched his body.

"H-hey! How did you do that?"

"What, keep the water off me?"

"Yeah!"

"Psychic field. I almost always have a weak one up. Adds a layer of protection to my skin and clothing. Keeps unsavory elements off them, or in this case, since I didn't wanna be wet, I wasn't."

He leapt up to the side of the mountain, amidst her irritated exclamations wondering why she never thought of that.

* * *

Two days had passed since the strange distortion in the sky. The Pokémon had returned to normal, though they seemed to be a bit more cautious, as if something had emerged that put them all on edge. Dawn had enjoyed the days she spent with her mother, baking, taking pictures, trying on clothes and just chatting the nights away, holding steaming mugs of hot chocolate while watching late-nite television. She was really grateful to Zero, for going when he did. She loved her senior trainer, but while on the road she never had time to just hang out with her mother. It'd been over a month since she saw the woman, and despite her mother's more than occasional forays to the various towns for their Contests, the woman was home, and she missed it.

The days passed in peace, nothing strange happening in the slightest. Penelope got used to her mistress' mother's interesting personality, and the odd level of respect the two four legged Pokémon gave her and her mistress. It wouldn't be until a little later, would she find out why.

* * *

Zero's pace was a brutal one, but She wasn't considered a Legend for nothing. The now human form Giratina matched Zero's speed, step for step, as they traveled back through the various locales to Twinleaf town. Interestingly enough, Alma bore no grudge upon her.

"Master kicked your ass, and that's enough for me."

It was simple, but at least it meant she wouldn't be ostracized by the other Ghost. Shiranui didn't like her much at first, but slowly warmed up to her as the days went on. Ziodyne just didn't care either way, and Ayane was more interested in her skills.

Alma had taken to riding on Zero's back, considering her flight speed still wasn't enough to match his bounding speed. Shiranui kept up with the two of them easily however, while Ayane and Ziodyne rested in their respective balls.

The group of six had just reached Sandgem town, when Zero stopped for a moment and headed towards the beach with nary a word. Giratina followed silently, not knowing what he was doing, but sensing such a feeling of focus from him she did not ask.

Alma slipped off of his back, as he kneeled in front of a small stone slab, hands together in prayer. The ghost-Pokémon-girl let her tears flow freely as she hugged her master tightly, respect for him skyrocketing even further. The human Giratina looked on in confusion, until her eyes picked out the lettering on the stone.

It was a grave marker for a girl named Miranda, who apparently drowned on this beach.

Giratina was no fool. She didn't know their full back-story, but she was able to piece it together. Alma was apparently formed from 'Miranda', and Zero had come back to pay his respects to her grave. Understanding the meaning of Life and Death very well, Giratina also walked up next to the two of them, knelt and bowed her head as well. Alma looked at the older girl, tears in her eyes.

"…Thank you."

Giratina offered the girl a soft smile. She understood the importance of what she just did. And she did it because it was right, because she knew, too many died without anyone knowing, or caring. The grave marker looked unkempt, in disarray. People had moved on, forgetting about the girl who died here, and though Alma was her own existence, within her lay the soul of Miranda, who was deeply saddened by everyone forgetting.

Zero placed a hand on Alma's back, silently asking if she was ready to go. The girl wiped her tears and smiled brightly at him, raising her arms. He picked her up with a slight spin, getting a loud giggle from the girl, before she crawled herself around and latched onto his back again. Giratina rose as well, smiling slightly at the sight. It was that moment that told her she'd chosen correctly, that even though her methods were twisted and wrong, she'd picked the right person for her task.

The two walked silently away from the grave, before Zero kicked off onto the roof of a building, Giratina following.

* * *

It was now dusk of the third day after the Distortion came and went. It would be wrong to say Dawn wasn't a little bit worried about Zero at this point. She cursed to herself as she recalled she never gave him the number to her home, so even if he wanted to contact her…

Rain had picked up, the clouds blocking the sun. With the rain came a slightly cold chill, so the two ladies were wrapped in their blankets, waiting for Johanna's roasting chicken to be ready. Dawn had just entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her when a soft but firm rapping echoed on the front door. Her mother placed her mug of chocolate on the table before her and answered.

When she pulled open the door she was met with the visage of a young man wearing a black traveler's cloak, with stark white hair offsetting his brown skin. To his left was a little girl dressed like a Mismagius, and to his right looked like a young woman who'd just stepped out of a bondage porno. That lewd thought was quickly pushed aside to avoid an embarrassing blush. It wouldn't do well to have her cheeks suddenly flare up upon answering the door, it just wouldn't look right.

There was one thing she noticed though. The rain. It seemed to slide around the three, not a single drop touching anything but their feet.

"May I help you?"

"Evening Ma'am. I was wondering if you knew where I could find Dawn?"

She blinked. A young man draped by two girls asking for her daughter? Strange.

"Umm, yes actually, I can get her if you want. Please, come in." While a part of her railed against letting complete strangers into her home, her instincts said she could trust these three, especially since the only male seemed to know her daughter.

"Hikari! There are people here to see you!"

Zero smiled. Giratina tilted her head. He whispered to her. "She hates her first name. Thinks it's stupid. Ever since the breakdown I've been calling her that. She doesn't seem to mind when I do it."

Giratina shrugged, not fully understanding the courtship motions of humans. The motion irritated her back though; her hidden scars were burning again.

"Who would be here to-**ZERO!"**

She dropped the shirt she was about to put on, and Dawn raced over to Zero and tackled him in a tight hug.

"Hey Kari. How are you?"

"You stupid **prick!** Where the hell were you?!"

"Hikari!" Her mother was shocked; she'd never spoken like that before.

"Sorry mom." She didn't look it. Zero just smiled.

"Around. Sorry I took so long, there were some…" He glanced at Giratina. "Events."

"…who's she?"

She was trying to stay hidden. She really was. She understood her choice in dress wasn't exactly appropriate for…well…much. But she sensed the girl's proverbial hackles rising when Dawn got a look at her.

"That's Nyx. She's gonna be traveling with me for a bit."

Dawn looked at Zero, staring into his eyes.

"Don't worry Kari. You're mine."

"I'm yours. I know Zero. She's just…"

He raised his eyebrows.

"She's hot."

"**Eyes unclouded,** Kari."

She looked at Zero, puzzled for a moment, before obeying. She turned back to 'Nyx', still clutching her boyfriend and focused. A veritable rainbow shimmered in her eyes for a moment, her natural bright blue being pushed aside as her irises shifted colors. Before her eyes, for a brief moment, the shadow of a giant powerful creature shimmered over Nyx's form. She gasped as the color faded.

"She's a-

"Yeah. She's also how I got here."

The exchange made no sense to Johanna. It was as if they were speaking in a language she'd never understood.

"CHICKEN!"

Alma barked out suddenly. Everyone present jumped slightly. Zero sniffed the air.

"Oh hey she's right. I smell chicken."

"Oh! I forgot!"

Once again Johanna raced to the kitchen. "Hikari, grab some chairs for our guests!"

"In a minute mom!" She was too happy just holding onto him. Nyx couldn't help but quip.

"You know…it's been a while since I last ventured into the human world, but if memory serves correctly, is it not rude for a girl to be present at a dinner gathering without a shirt?"

Dawn looked down at herself, the realization she'd never finished putting on her shirt hitting her. She flushed slightly but simply leaned back into Zero.

"He's seen me wearing less. I really don't care."

"You don't, but I do. Throw at least a robe on young lady."

"Moooom…" the girl groaned.

"G'wan Kari. Don't need that weird blonde popping up and having something to pop to later."

She whacked him on the chest. "Pervert!"

"I'm not the one walking around in various states of undress my dear."

"Rrrggh. You're lucky I love you."

"Yes, that called for a kick to the groin. Go on, I'm not going anywhere for a while."

She gave him a light kiss and sashayed off to her room to properly get dressed.

"You chose well, Zero."

"Remember Nyx, she chose me."

"But you **did **save her life."

Almost forgetting that her mother was in the room, Zero turned to Johanna.

"Sorry about showing up so suddenly Ma'am."

She shook her head. "It's fine. She's been pining after you these past couple days anyway. Ever since that weird distortion in the sky."

"Huh…so it happened like that here too…"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, just musing on something. I was…kinda at the center of all that."

"I see. You really do live up to your legacy, Zero Shinzaki."

Alma blinked, munching away on a cookie she found on a plate on the table. "Impressive, you know of Master?"

"Anyone worth their salt as a trainer, or Coordinator does. You're a living legend. Your exploits are the thing of children's bedtime stories. When my daughter told me who it was that was standing in the middle of all that blood, I nearly had a heart attack."

"She…"

"She knocked her head into mine and I saw everything as she did. It was…disturbing."

"Wait, she shouldn't be able to-

"Remember Nyx. She broke. And when she broke, something weird happened. After she broke…"

"That's when I fell in love with him."

She came down wearing a simple T-shirt and pajama pants. She tugged at his cloak, and he unfastened it. Placing it on the coat rack she continued.

"It was that moment that I realized how much he meant to me, how much time he'd spent, wasted on teaching me, showing me things that no other trainer would know. He gave me a warning when we first met-yes, I know you were lying about having met me before."

He looked away, guilty.

"It's ok. I don't know what's going on with you but I can tell it's big. Bigger than big. You steamrolled the Gyms here like they were nothing, as if you knew exactly what to do. And I know you've never been here before. Her being here just makes it both clearer, and cloudier. All I know is that something is happening, and you're in the middle of it…and without you, I'd have been…"

She looked away for a moment, before snapping back.

"But it's alright. Just…promise you'll tell me what's going on, soon. I don't have to know right away. In fact…I get the feeling I'm going to find out sooner than I think…but…"

"I promise."

She smiled at him. "Thank you. I know you hate making promises."

"What happened…anyway?"

"I came to a realization. How different we were…I have a loving mother, friends…all you've got is your Pokémon…and no offence to them but…"

"Most of us aren't people." Alma finished. "It's alright. Psychics and us Ghosts are the closest to humans you'll find, in terms of personality. You're good for him. He needs you."

"Gee spill my weaknesses why don't you."

"Well it's true."

"Not denying it."

"I'm glad…to know I can help. Even if it's just by loving you." _Still…there are others who feel the same way. I wonder where they are, in all this._

"I hate to interrupt…but dinner's ready."

"Ahh…sorry to intrude."

"It's alright. I'd like to hear some of your stories anyway, if it's not too troubling."

"Not at all."

* * *

"_Listen, Kari. I've got…something really big I gotta do."_

"_I know."_

"_I wanna get to it."_

"_I understand…"_

"_**After **__we go out somewhere."_

"…_what?"_

"_You heard me. I don't…I don't know how long this will take, or even what going to happen from it. But…I want to go somewhere with you before I go."_

"_Zero you make it sound like you're going to die on me."_

"_I…I don't think so…but…"_

"_Anything is possible…listen, don't worry about it alright? Where did you have in mind?"_

(BGM: Imperishable Night - Extend Ash - Hourai Victim)

Resort Area.

A location known only to the best of the best, one of a triad of places one could reach in the Sinnoh region only after proving worthy. At first Zero thought he would have to finish his badge and league quest, but Dawn stomped down on that idea.

"_Those who are worthy. You've saved the planet so many times it would be stupid if they refused you."_

So they went. They caught a ride on a boat and ended up in the Fight Area, the place where everyone started out on this trio of islands. In no time they made their way across the small patch of Ocean to the Resort Area. Palm Trees lined the paved road as flowers of all sorts grew as far as the eye could see. The Pokémon Center was their first destination. After booking a room there, they set out to look around.

Dawn had suggested the Ribbon Syndicate, a place where her and her mother had visited a few times before. Nyx opted to stay behind with their Pokémon, wanting them to enjoy themselves.

"_Hmph. I'm sorry, but only the cream of the crop are allowed in. Perhaps you should seek more ribbons, then try coming back." The lady at the door had stopped them, a prissy looking thing with an ugly superior sneer on her face._

"_Although with your unkempt appearance I doubt even then you'd be welcome here."_

Oh how he wished to slice **her **to ribbons. Dawn had steered Zero away from the place, after giving the woman a harsh glare. Zero rolled his eyes, places like that weren't his type anyway.

Date effectively ruined, Dawn was vastly unhappy, until a voice called from the entrance way.

* * *

"Amelia who was that?"

"Some girl and her boyfriend My Lady. I promptly sent them away."

The young woman standing at the top of the stairs frowned. Ever since she hired this new girl, less people had been coming. Sure it was a place meant for those with great achievements…but this girl had to be reprimanded before, she once sent Cynthia herself away!

"Did you at least get a name?" It would help to know of any future callers…assuming they wanted to come back.

"No, but I think even the boy's girlfriend knew how worthless he was. She called him a 'zero'. Ugh, such **ugly **white hair on him. And such disgustingly dirty brown eyes."

The woman's eyes widened, then immediately narrowed as panic started to set in. She knew of only **one **person in the world with that description, and this _idiot _drove him away!

"You **FOOL!** That was **Zero Shinzaki! **The Three Times Savior of this world, and three times champion of three different regions! You turned away a **living legend!** Pack your bags Amelia. You've cost me far too much. I want you out of this building by sundown, you're fired."

The woman lifted her skirt and trotted down the stairs as fast as her white heels could carry her. The curly blonde with the superior sneer stared in shock at her employer's words. While the part about the Shinzaki person didn't bother her, it was that he'd caused her to be fired.

"You-you can't do that! You need-

"What I need is competence, and you have **none**. Your antics have kept people from this building long enough. We pride ourselves in being the best, and your foolishness has denied entry to a veritable **God**. It was a mistake to hire you. One that I am rectifying. I want you out!"

She punctuated her sentence with a heavy glare, showing the curly blonde she was entirely serious. The girl with the ugly smirk dropped to her knees in shock as her once employer dashed through the doors.

_I can only hope I can repair the damage._

* * *

"Mister Shinzaki! Please, wait!"

The two stopped and turned around to see a young woman, not far into her twenties, trotting along in a frilly mint green dress. Blonde locks done in an elegant bun held together by golden rods streamed down her face as she panted in exertion. The run itself wasn't what tired her, it was the constant focus she had to hold over her body so she wouldn't trip in these god-forsaken heels.

She slowed to a stop in front of him, dropping her skirt, panting. She looked into his eyes and immediately stamped down on a heavy flinch.

They said his eyes were an incredibly deep brown. But with all his skills, they gave away his emotions. If you saw any red at all, even just small flecks of it, you were dealing with an irritated Zero, and that was _never _a good thing.

It was just her luck that that fool of a woman irritated him. She hoped she could fix things.

"My…my name is Cecilia Lynn Atlasia. I'm the current head of the organization for over achievers known as the Ribbon Syndicate."

"Oh good, the owner herself has shown up just to throw how unwanted we are in our faces."

Immediately Cecilia shook her head violently. "No, no it's nothing of that sort. My front door, she…is a fool. I made a mistake in hiring her. I apologize profusely for her stupidity. I had hoped she'd realized her own idiocy when I reprimanded her for her mistake of turning away the Champion Cynthia, but it seems she never learned her lesson. She's been terminated from her position now."

"And I care…why?"

_Oh bollocks. Why does this always happen?_

"If…I were to hazard a guess…" She looked at Dawn carefully, in her mind aging her a couple decades, and cutting her hair short. "You must be Johanna's daughter. Hikari."

Dawn frowned. "I prefer my middle name please."

"Ahh yes, my apologies. Dawn, was it? Your mother used to be a frequent visitor here. I can only guess it was that fool Amelia who ended up cutting those visits down. Please, next time you speak with her, send her my deepest apologies."

"Right."

"Can we get to the point."

Dawn frowned again. Zero didn't get irritated that easily…she realized how important today was to him.

"Sorry. I can only grasp at straws here, but…I would assume you two are, or at least were, on a date?"

Raised eyebrow from Zero. "Your point?"

"I'd like to invite you to my little Club. Mister Shinzaki, your exploits have long since reached our ears, and many of our members would be more than pleased if you'd join us."

"And Kari?"

_Kari? Oh, he must mean Dawn…I wonder why he can call her that?_

"She would of course be welcome too. Any child of someone like Johanna must be greatly skilled. We'd been hearing of a young girl going around in Sinnoh's contests, pulling off very unorthodox wins. The style in which they were pulled off in had some of my more floaty members wondering of Sir Shinzaki had gotten a sex change."

Dawn gave an unladylike snort at that, barely holding in her laughter.

Zero just blinked. "…huh. I don't get _that _often."

Her hands flew up to her mouth. "Oh my goodness I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!"

"Offend? Your ex-lapdog offended me more than you did Cece. I'm just trying to figure out how…that…would work."

Before he could ponder it, Dawn got a panicked look in her eyes before she grabbed his head and kissed him fiercely on the lips, shocking Cecilia. The two pulled apart, Zero's eyes glazed over for a few moments.

"Oh thank god. Sorry Miss Atlasia, but I can't let Zero start thinking about things like that. He's got a very, **very **vivid imagination, and something like that would occupy him for the rest of the night."

"I…see." She was a bit flustered. She could **feel **the passion between them, even if the majority of it seemed to radiate from the girl.

"**Mistress, is everything alright?"**

From behind Cecilia came a Gardevoir. Immediately Zero froze upon seeing it.

"Zee?"

He stepped forward, as if in a trance, his eyes boring into those of the tall psychic Pokémon.

"…Hisui…" He stared at the Gardevoir, mind racing.

"…no…her green is a bit darker…" His words were soft, as if meant to be inside, but the feeling behind them couldn't be contained.

"…her eyes are darker as well…" He circled the now puzzled and slightly worried Gardevoir. She felt random emotions clashing within this young man. She gave a worried glance to her trainer.

"…you favor your right side in battles. A side effect of the link. Your stance says speed isn't your best trait, preferring to put up barriers to block or reflect attacks, rather than try to evade." In shock, the Gardevoir stepped back. He nodded as if expecting that.

"yes…too different. You reflexively lead with your right foot. She switches constantly. Your form tells me you favor direct attacks, preferring to try to overwhelm the opponent with your presence. Your eyes say you get too focused sometimes, and Cecilia has to snap your attention to something you missed. Yes…definitely not Hisui. You're good, but she's better."

Cecilia was in shock. "How…could you…"

"I spent most of my career traveling with a Gardevoir. Psychic and Ghost Pokémon…I can understand and read them better than others can. I don't try to get in their minds so much as I try to listen to their body language. Hisui will pick a random foot to lead with. A Gardevoir is naturally not attuned for speed, but Hisui prefers to evade attacks, placing walls to allow moves to slide past her, rather than outright block unless she has to. She prefers indirect attacks, a trait she picked up from me. Everything is a weapon to her, which is why she and Chihiro are so formidable. Most trainers don't realize the potential that a battlefield can give. And even those who focus on Psychic types don't realize what the full extent of their capability is."

"Ahh…Sir Shinzaki…" It was only known around her group of friends, but Cecilia got easily aroused by intellectuals. Male or female didn't matter, but if someone was focused in a field of knowledge, and began an explanation, their focus sent shivers down her spine.

Dawn noticed the slight flush of the woman's cheeks, the way her hands twitched as she reached ever so slightly towards her chest, one hand trying to stop the other. A very light sweat had built up on the girl's brow, and her lips glistened with moisture as the woman occasionally flicked her tongue along them, unconsciously.

She gave a small smirk, easily reading the girl like a book. Zero was turning her on just by talking, something Dawn had experienced herself, but not at this level.

"Excuse me, Miss Atlasia. But you said we were invited inside now?"

Snapping out of her haze of building arousal, the girl gave a very subtle look to Dawn, showing how grateful she was for being snapped back to reality.

"Y-yes. Please. We can continue this over a spot of cocoa? The Club is rather empty now, we shouldn't be bothered."

"Eh…alright I guess."

* * *

And so, the night progressed. Dawn sitting next to Zero on a couch in Cecilia's private quarters, with the now casually dressed woman and her partner Gardevoir listening to his every word.

"You were saying, Sir Zero, about the absence of potential in psychics?"

He set his mug down, silently noting the woman knew how to make a damn good combination of flavors.

"Most psychics simply stick to levitating solid objects, moving them with their mind. Or they'll take the internal root and focus inward, reading and breaking minds for their benefit, or the fun of things. The same goes with Psychic Pokémon. They prefer concentrated blasts of mentality at the opponent, or lifting the opponent and tossing them around."

He made an example by reaching out his hand to his mug, not touching it, but the mug began to lift.

"Most stick with just this, refining their ability so they can lift heavier objects for a longer amount of time. Since a psychic is radiating their own mental field, and life force, to counteract the rules of the world, such as gravity, it can create a massive strain. Most of them keep in mind that each object has its own weight, and to lift that weight, while it is slightly easier for psychics than bodybuilders, still puts strain on them. Only for us it would be the mind, rather than the body."

He moved the mug around, having it spin in place.

"Most people think linearly, they think that the best way to deal damage to an opponent is to strike them directly. Many psychic Pokémon, and people, tend to lean more on focused pulses to deal physical damage through mental power. Since the force is intangible, the only thing that can stop it is usually a solid object, because the caster is creating a general pulse. Stronger psychics, like Kanto's Sabrina, would be able to create a pulse that cannot be blocked save by other psychics, because she focuses on creating a localized impact upon the opponent's body, rather than radiating a semi-tangible force to move in a specific direction."

_Oh thank god I'm sitting. If I were standing I'd have collapsed by now._ As it was, her legs were feeling weak. Her eyes shimmered with suppressed excitement as he continued his lecture. Dawn smirked, noting the woman's state of mind. Deciding to do something about it, she asked a question.

"Why wouldn't that be enough?"

"Well, it's enough. But it's _boring._ And if that's all you can do, then people can find ways to counter it. There _are _places and objects in the world that can dampen, if not nullify psychic power. Which is why whenever a psychic comes out, most intelligent and varied trainers pull out a Dark type, over a Ghost. For some reason, Dark Pokémon are shielded from all forms of psychic attack. Their bodies are not easily manipulated, and their minds seem to be protected from internal strikes. Ghosts still have open minds, so while psychic attacks aren't as effective because the mind is more frayed than a living being, they can still have an effect."

"Fantina was raving about you not long ago. She said you had pulled off something she'd never even fathomed before."

"Yeah. It was an idea that popped up. I told Alma to fire a Shadow Ball, but in reality, she was prepping a mental assault. She tricked Fantina's Mismagius into believing that a Shadow Ball was heading her way, and then head-butted it. I figured, since Fantina focused on Ghosts, she wouldn't expect an illusion in the way a Psychic would wield one."

"We're off track. **Why **is it that psychics aren't reaching their full potential?"

"Environment. Most land based Pokémon focus on environment, stones, trees, lamps, benches, anything that can get in their way. They focus on avoiding these objects…but my Pokémon utilize them."

"How so?"

He reached out to the mug again. He made a scooping motion with his hands, and the hot cocoa inside floated out. With his left hand, he gestured downward, and the mug gently settled on a nearby table, while his right was still cupped. The cocoa was suspended in the air. Dawn smiled brightly as Cecilia's eyes widened.

"How…?"

"Combining the two ideas into one. I take my psychic field, radiate it to create a tangible force, and then manipulate the liquid in a manner that it acts as if it's being held in a solid." He wiggled his fingers a bit, and the cocoa wobbled, twisting into an infinity symbol.

"Since liquid tends to be free-flowing, you can fashion it in whatever manner you wish, just by focusing. As long as you have the control, and remember at least subconsciously, that liquid is still a tangible object, you can manipulate it."

"…genius…"

He gave a soft grin. "Not really. I spent…a lot of my earlier days playing all manner of games and watching television, like any normal kid. After…after I started my journey, and learned that being around Hisui had awakened my psychic potential, I started practicing with my imagination. I was never really one to follow what others said or did, forging my own path…Hisui took to it like a sponge, and together we found ways to manipulate the very elements around us. Water, and most other liquid based objects are the easiest to control."

He reached both hands out, separating the sideways eight into two separate circles. Wiggling his fingers again, small pieces of the circles flecked off, as if someone were taking tiny nibbles out of them. He then brought his hands together, clumping the mass back into one, before twisting his pointer finger in a spiral, turning the now spherical shape into a corkscrew.

It took all of her self will not to jump him right there. That, and she didn't want to anger Johanna's daughter.

He then made an odd motion, spreading two fingers apart and slashing them down. The corkscrew seemed to shudder, before it turned back into the sphere, before forming into the shape of a blade. With his free hand, he lifted a marshmallow into the air, and pointed at it. The cocoa blade impaled the marshmallow, before floating over to Dawn who very happily allowed the makeshift skewer to pop it into her mouth. He then placed the cocoa back into the mug, before sipping it himself, smiling inward at the sheer shock on Cecilia's and her Gardevoir's faces.

"Mmm, still warm."

The blonde woman stared at him, an odd noise forming in the back of her throat. Dawn pondered for a moment. _She's close to breaking. She won't be able to hold off much longer. Hmm…_

She spared a glance at Zero who was calmly sipping his drink.

_She's not one of the __**others**__. But…_

She thought about the previous day's events, the feeling of uncertainty Zero gave off when he spoke of his coming task.

_If something goes wrong…do I really…_

She looked at Cecilia again, almost hearing the raging hormones in the woman's body.

…_well…it could be fun._

"Cecilia."

She spoke. The blonde turned to her. Dawn gave her a knowing look.

"I want first."

The blonde woman's eyes widened. "I-you…you mean-

"Ehh, why not? We should be allowed to have some fun after all."

"But…you're-

"Just by half a year. You're technically considered an adult if you can pass the test anyway."

"You'd…really let me…"

"Like I said, me first. But I…guess I wouldn't oppose to someone joining in."

"Why do I suddenly not like the implications of your conversation?"

They both turned to Zero, who was staring straight ahead, unblinking.

"Because you have far more honor in you than is healthy." Dawn nodded to Cecilia. "I think we should knock a bit of that out of him. Don't you think?"

"…I'm a complete stranger though…"

"And? To me, so are **they.** But that doesn't mean I wont be spending time with them. Come on, who else besides myself, and **them,** would be able to claim they bedded Zero Shinzaki?"

Insert spit-take. At those words, Zero coughed up a bit of the cocoa he'd just swallowed, completely caught off guard by Dawn's bold statement.

"Kagh, agh. D-dammit woman! Are you bloody serious?"

Dawn slipped behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Cecilia, let go."

The blonde's eyes widened.

"Zero, how did you get to Canalave City when you didn't have a Pokémon that could surf? Those waters aren't exactly safe to swim in."

Mind too blown by Dawn's implications beforehand, he didn't see the trap she'd set him up in. Later on, he'd muse he didn't mind springing this one, but would focus on improving his ability to deal with blindsides like this.

"I walked over."

"How? There's no bridge."

"I walked on the water."

"But that's impossible."

"No…any psychic can do it, hell even some non-psychic martial arts practitioners can, if they focus enough of their inner energy. All you do is just clump the water together beneath your feet, halting the displacement effect of themmmffff-

Right then, Cecilia had launched herself from the chair before him, kicked off the table, knocking it over and crashed her lips onto his while grasping at his shirt wanting to tear it off with her bare hands.

His arms waved around wildly before Dawn grabbed them and effectively pinned him in place.

"Now now my dear. We're going to have some fun with you. And I highly doubt you'll object…"

* * *

Zero thought back, as he and Nyx left the Villa, heading for Mt. Coronet.

He'd woken up that morning draped in the arms of two beautifully naked girls, Alma sprawled out on his chest, and Ayane at his feet. Sensing his wake, Ayane peaked her head up from her paws.

_How…_

**Alma sensed your…emotions…master. And when they calmed down, Nyx brought us here through her unusual shadow gate. Ziodyne is asleep in his sphere, and Nyx is outside the room, cleaning up the mess your girls made last night.**

_Oh…_

**I assume you three enjoyed yourselves? If it weren't for me the whole resort would have heard those two.**

Not normally one for embarrassment, he was sufficiently flushed at the moment.

_Thanks…Ayane. I'll make sure to cook you a nice juicy steak soon._

**Good. And you're quite welcome, Master.**

It wasn't long before Alma woke, yawning and stretching before reverting to her Pokémon form and rubbing her nose onto his as her daily morning greeting.

He pat her on the head gently, and she phased through the wall, intent on helping Nyx clean up. He sighed as he felt the two girls next to him beginning to stir. Immediately upon realizing where she was, Cecilia gave a squeak of embarrassment and pushed herself away…and promptly fell off the bed with a loud **fwump**.

"Nice. I think that'd be a five pointer right there."

"A-aaaaah…Z-Zero…w-what. D-did we really-

"Regrets Cece?"

"N-no! It was incredible!" She squeaked as she slapped her hands over her mouth, still flushed red. Dawn had roused and watched the exchange, smirk on her face the entire time. Zero leaned over.

"Huh, looks like that blush goes down your entire front."

"N-no fair! Teasing me like this!"

He smiled at her and turned to Dawn.

"You ok with this Kari?" _Not sure if I have the authority to…but I __**could **__technically ask if we could revert time back before last night…_

"Oh Zee, you just don't get us women do you?"

"I'm going to go with no."

She shook her head with a wide smile. "You stopped me before. And I'm glad you did. But last night, it was time we took a step further, especially with the way you've been acting lately."

"…sorry."

She shook her head again.

"Just come back soon ok?"

There was a rustling, as a partially dressed Cecilia was rummaging through her drawers for something.

"Oh where the bloody hell did I put it?"

"'Cha lookin' for Cece?"

"Stupid piece of-AHA! Found it!" She held up a piece of paper, triumphantly.

"Uhh…congratulations?"

"Here." She handed it to him.

"Man…I'm glad I'm not drinking anything right now or this paper'd be ruined. Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes. It's a deed to the Villa just down the road. I've been sitting on that blasted thing for months, the previous owner moved to Kanto, and left me with it. All the bills and utilities are paid for by a previously set aside account that accumulates about forty percent of what the owner makes monthly. He made about two thousand dollars a month, so that account is quite full, especially since he didn't use the villa much."

"…so…ok, I've got way too many possible reasons going through my head, and rather than chance offending you by speaking them out loud, just gimme it straight. Why?"

She smiled. "Hang on to this one Dawn. He knows more about us than he thinks."

"Oh I will. Believe me."

"Words please."

"Like I said, I've been sitting on that for months. I thought of giving it to that fool Amelia, but thankfully I thought better of it. Zero…you're the best choice. …I…I know the rumors going around. You…don't really have anywhere to go back to…do you?"

He sighed. His past always seemed to rear its ugly head at the worst possible moments.

"No. Technically I don't."

"…you're a legend you know? Women want you, men want to be you…and you're only seventeen. I know…it looks like I'm paying you off for last night but…I think, somewhere in my mind, I was hoping I'd run into you…so I could at the very least, give you something solid, in return for all you've done for this world."

"Hah…outside of Kari…I think you'd be the only one to."

"So you'll take it?"

"I wanna see it first."

"Of course. Ahh…the previous owner…he took everything with him, except a table, and a book. The book has some numbers for furnishing places not too far away. Unfortunately…the furnishings would have to come out of your own pocket…"

"Ehh, I didn't expect anything to be left behind. Alright, let's take a look at this place."

Ayane yawned, nudged Zero's foot with her head, which got a response of toes wiggling on her skull, giving her a goofy looking massage, and then plopped off the bed.

* * *

"Huh…it's a lot better looking than I thought."

An impressive two floor building stood before him.

"Oooh! An in-ground pool! And a flower garden!"

"Inside dear."

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him.

"Biiig."

Cecilia smiled.

"Do you like it?"

"Really big." _When I get the others back…we'll have plenty of room for them…_

"The upstairs was added not long before he left. Before, the downstairs was the entire house. It was sectioned off, but…it was pretty much just one big room. Now, the downstairs is basically a hall, and the upstairs has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There's a third, smaller room that could be used either as a big closet, or a guest room. Or you could just park someone on a couch down here. Kitchen area is to our left, just past the staircase. There's not much of a back yard…but it does offer a nice view of my place, and the east wing has _beautiful _sunrises."

"Alright alright. You've done enough, I'm sold."

"Really?!"

"Yeah yeah…I need a place to stay anyway…and even if this just ends up a vacation home, it's nice, out of the way, and I can just go north a bit for some asskickings."

"Just sign here then."

He scribbled his signature, a combination of two letters flowing into one another, Z.S.

"FINALLY! God I've had people bugging me about this place forever!"

* * *

After Nyx returned from the Center, Cecilia hugged Zero goodbye.

"Be safe Sir Shinzaki."

"I'll try."

Dawn held him tightly.

"Come back to me."

"I promised."

"I know. Just…still…come home Zero."

She kissed him softly.

"I'll be back before you know it."

"Don't worry Sir Shinzaki, I'll make sure she stays properly occupied."

"Double statement Cece."

"Oh shut it you."

With one final laugh, Zero and Nyx set off. As they reached the plot of sea that spanned Route 230, Nyx stopped.

"It would be best if we flew from here on, Zero."

"Oh, your wings have returned?"

"Yes. They're still a bit tender but they can easily carry us to the mountain."

With a brilliant flare of light and a loud roar, Nyx had returned to her original form.

"Then let's go."

* * *

(BGM: Ar Tonelico 2 - Zawameku dougi - Chroche)

Specks of light flew everywhere. All six 'legendary' class Pokémon were shimmering with power. In an act that surprised Zero and Nyx, the Emotion Trinity, Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit all appeared before them. The general feeling Nyx claimed they had, was that they wished to help in their plan of unifying the worlds.

It was then that Nyx turned to Zero.

"It's your call. Tell us how to set up."

Zero had them placed. Dialga, to his front left, Palkia to his front Right, and Giratina behind him. Uxie would be to his lower right, Mesprit to his lower left, and Azelf before him. In his mind, their positions formed his personal Sigil, the Glyph of Chaos. Dialga, Palkia and Giratina in the positions that represented Destruction, and Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit in the positions of Creation. They were spread out in a way that would allow buffers between them, in case something went wrong.

His team surrounded him, staying close so they would survive the changing of worlds. He himself was radiating his own psychic field, attempting to match with at least the very base tones of the legend's.

Their bodies glowed with light, and a spiral of energy fired into the sky.

Dialga would slow time to a crawl, allowing the newly formed distortion to overtake the world in seconds. His true purpose, was to hold the flow of time as best he could, to allow for Giratina's job to come through.

Palkia would be warping the land to match that of the Alternate world. All manner of objects would be scattered, erased, and re-located to properly align with the new memories.

Giratina warps the world. Using herself as an anchor, she would allow the false realities of her home, the Torn World to temporarily overtake this one, to allow Dialga and Palkia greater control over their aspects, as well as open the way for the Emotion Trinity to do their part.

The 'pixies' as some had taken to calling them, would be working in unison to align memories, emotions, thoughts and instincts from one world to the next.

As one, the Pokémon flared as their spiral of manipulation grew into a massive aurora that covered the planet. Day or night, it mattered not. The sky grew dark and rays of color would fly through the air.

It seemed to be working. All of them could feel the world rumbling as two realities melded together…but there was still something missing.

Zero, the one whom this revolved around, the key to the entire operation, had doubts. He was worried. His friends, his team…Dawn…he worried about all of them. He didn't like the plan from the beginning, even if it seemed to be working out fine now. He was…scared. A fear he'd not felt since the day he found his sister lying on the ground, his once step-father hovering over her, holding a bloodied knife.

Inside the shell of color, Alma placed a ghostly appendage on his arm. She understood his uneasiness, and desparately wished she had some way to ease his mind.

"**It's…not working! We have everything correct, the worlds are attempting to become one…but why isn't it happening?!"**

* * *

For a month, they searched.

Hisui had practically gone insane, only calmed down by Sabrina, and Kohaku. Chihiro had silenced herself, shut away in her mind, not emerging since they suddenly felt his presence fade to such a tiny speck they feared his death.

The others covered ground. Everyone who'd been present when Shiranui and Zero vanished had split up, taking various locations in their search. After a month of traveling, asking questions, and no results, they gathered again.

Sabrina hadn't left Hisui's side once during the whole thing, the Gardevoir latching onto the Gym Leader's psychic field like a lifeline.

Dawn didn't understand it. She'd been overcome with the need to find him, especially in the last few days. It was a near frantic desire, one that wouldn't be quenched until he returned.

Even as she greeted her companions, her mind wondered why it felt so imperative that she get him back.

It was then, that a massive pillar of light erupted into the air. The origin was a far mountain.

"What the hell?!"

People from all over stepped out of their homes, staring at the now spiraling beam of energy. Immediately Chihiro sat up, as did Hisui. They raced outside and stared at the beam, as the sky turned black, with waves of light racing through it.

"…Master?"

* * *

_I can't…I can't do it. I don't…I don't want-_

"_Daijoubu."_

…_you're right._

His body began giving off a soft shimmer of energy.

_I shouldn't be so worried. Things will work out. They always do._

The world's colors inverted for a moment, as a cloud of black appeared above him. Their concentration didn't waiver for a moment, but every being present stared at the cloud, as pieces of black particles seemed to form in the air around him, and then gather into the now writhing cloud. The smoky apparition seemed to turn a sickly grey, as it solidified into a sphere.

_HOW DID HE GET THAT TO HAPPEN?!_

Giratina stared in shock. **That **was the missing part of her power!

He reached a hand up, the sphere pulsing in tune with his heart.

"_You know…" Alma had spoken, before they started. "We should come up with a name for this."_

"_Name?"_

"_Yeah, humans have given us Pokémon named attacks. So I figure, since this is basically one big skill used by a bunch of Pokémon at once, it should have a name. Especially since it involves a human."_

"_Well have to think about that later."_

He reached up, grasping the sphere in his hands. Rays of light slipped through his fingertips as the world seemed to stop.

_A name…huh?_

He spoke. One phrase that would change the world. With his words, the sphere pulsed as the Glyph of Chaos immediately inscribed itself beneath the feet of all present.

"**Division by Zero."**

* * *

That symbol suddenly formed in the sky, in the center of the multi-colored spiral of energy.

All over the world, people looked to the heavens and saw that symbol.

His Pokémon's eyes widened, as they all recognized that sign.

It pulsed…and the world went black.

For thirty seconds, every living being in the world, blacked out.

For thirty seconds, every object in the world, stopped.

For thirty seconds, time ceased to flow.

For thirty seconds…

The world…

Ended.

* * *

**A/N**: Next chapter: Aftermath. We see what happened when Zero and the others unified the worlds. And before anyone asks, no, Neither of the Dawns had contacted him. It was simply his memory of her that played her voice in his head.

And yes, the sphere that appeared was indeed, the Griseous Orb, the Hold Item that allows Giratina to change to its Torn World self.

Honestly, I was torn about the name. It was a tossup between Nyx and Izanami. Both of them fit for Giratina, and both of them have similar but special meanings that enhance the 'personality' behind Giratina.

Also, before anyone complains about Zero getting laid in this chapter, remember, **he **didn't ask for it. Cecilia and Dawn jumped him. Yes it's a bit out of character for Dawn to just let some random blonde she just met bang her boyfriend, but considering he'd been giving her the "I will possibly die soon" feeling all day, she figured it was worth the shot. And really, who said Dawn wasn't bisexual? She'd been wanting to get in his pants since she 'reformatted', and Zero's remaining chivalry was all that stopped her.

And remember, we still don't know **shit **about how laws and rules work in the Pokémon world. It's around fifteen that most people start getting hit by those feelings anyway, plus, at least I didn't **JAPAN! **It and make her thirteen.

Even my perversion has limits.

The best part is: Technically, **it didn't happen**. Put THAT on your plate and eat it.

Oh yeah, Zero's little nickname for Cecilia is pronounced "See-see."

Hunter 1: Their deaths, unfortunately, were quick and painless. You'll find out what happened with the **rest **of Galactic soon. As well as exactly _what the hell _Zero did to Nyx that she has scars even in her **human **form.

D&S Master: More Holy Shit content inside! Enjoy!


	8. Aftermath

Her eyes blinked open, slowly.

She turned her head, only to hear a small crack, as her bones popped back into place. Her body was stiff, as if she'd not used it in days. As her eyes focused, her mind raced, jumbled, confused.

All over the world, people were experiencing the same things.

_Wasn't I…just with Cecilia?_

_Wait, who's Cecilia?_

_The girl Zero and I-_

_Wait, Zero? As in Zero Shinzaki?_

_He headed off to Mt. Coronet._

_What the heck would he be doing there?_

_Oh…wait…_

_Hey…_

_**It all makes sense now.**_

Memories of two lives flittered through Dawn's mind. She absently hit a button on her Pokétch, the pink watch-like object on her wrist. It showed the date and time.

_Wait…it was only September…of last year…_

_But…I woke up with him yesterday._

_**Oh. I see.**_

_Unusual circumstances, huh?_

_Time travel then?_

_Or maybe parallel universes._

_**No…wait…it's both.**_

_We did all that stuff, five months ago, technically._

_But it was only yesterday!_

_Yesterday five months ago._

_I'm missing five months of my life?!_

_No, I'm not. Everything happened six months ago, as far as I'm concerned._

_**Oh. It's just like being asleep then. As if everything until now was just a dream.**_

_But which was the dream?_

_My travels with Ash._

_Oh? Why would I think that?_

_Because Zero feels more real._

_**Ash didn't exist there.**_

_But…Penelope…_

_I still have her. Just…her and others._

_Oh yeah…wow…this really does work out in my favor._

_**After all, I needed to find some other teammates anyway.**_

* * *

"What…happened?"

"Wow…" Sabrina dropped to her behind, rubbing her forehead. "My head is **fucked.**"

Murmurs of agreement rang all around. Chihiro and Hisui were still staring off in the distance.

"I can feel him…but…it's so…clouded."

"**Master…master is here…but…not. Where…where are you?!"**

"Yeah…y'know…it feels like he's muffled."

_No it doesn't. I can sense him just fine._

_Wait, sense? I don't have psychic powers!_

_Yes I do. He saved my life, and I broke from the trauma…_

_**Oh…right. I changed then. I understood him better. It makes sense now.**_

"I…I can feel him just fine."

Everyone whirled around to Dawn, who had a very confused look on her face.

"Uhh…last I checked you didn't have any-

"I don't. I mean, I do. No…I…I don't get it myself. Part of me says I don't, part of me says I do. But either way, both parts say Zero is that way." She pointed to the horizon.

"**How…is it…that you can sense what we cannot?!"**

"You never had sex with him."

Everyone stopped breathing for a moment. They stared in shock as Dawn's hands shot to her mouth in surprise of her own words.

_Oh my god did I just say that?!_

_Well, yeah. And holy hell it was good._

_I…I never…I didn't-_

_I did. And I loved every friggin second of it._

…_**that's right. We did wake up next to him. And she fell off the bed. That was funny.**_

Chihiro's glasses dropped down her nose. "You're…kidding? That's impossible! He's been missing for the last MONTH!"

"He…has. Here. Well…what was 'here'. But he was 'there.' And so was I. And he saved me, and I fell in love with him. And I trapped him…and it was funny too."

_The look on his face was priceless when I made that vague suggestion._

_I can't believe I did that. How unusual._

_He'd saved me from them, from a fate worse than anything I can imagine. He did more for me in a month than anyone outside my mother has done in my life._

_**That's right. I love him. And I'll always love him. But the others…I think I'm soon to find out who they are.**_

"**Trapped…there…wait…"**

"Are you saying he was in another _world?!_"

"I…think so. He knew things. Things that didn't make sense to me. Whenever something happened, he was already there, as if he'd done it before. He was there, and I was there, but I was here too…which means that I was there, and here, but he was only there."

Ash was having a hard time following everything.

"Alright…for the sake of my brain…you're saying that somehow this guy got transported to another dimension, where you two met, he saved you from **something** and you…" He stopped, trying to wrap his mind around everything. "…you did it with him?"

"There, yes. Not here though. Here I was…well at that time I was traveling with you and Brock. But there, I was traveling on my own, except the couple times we ran into each other before **it **happened."

"You lived two lives?"

"We all did…right Cynthia?"

"Y-yes…I…I'm remembering things too. Things from…'there'." She recalled what she saw in the Torn World.

"My gods…that boy is…"

"**This is all well and good, but Master is somewhere out there and I'd like to know WHERE!"**

"I told you, That way."

Sensing Hisui's growing hysteria Chihiro stepped in. "Ahh…we know, but **where **that way?"

"Probably the Villa…"

"Villa?"

"Resort Area. It's where we met Cecilia, and had a threesome."

"WHAT!?"

_That was a good day._

_It started out so weird though…I hadn't seen my mother in forever._

_**That's something. I should see if she's going through the same thing I am…**_

* * *

Her eyes snapped open.

Two sets of memories were flowing through her head. Unconsciously, she reached down.

Nothing had changed. It's as if **it **never happened.

But she remembered it. She remembered everything about it.

It was the best night of her life.

She'd felt so much. Learned so much. She got up from the floor, holding her head, noticing a piece of paper on her bed.

The deed to the Villa.

She stared at it, grasping it in her hands.

She'd left it with him though.

And yet here it was. It looked strange. She attested it to her throbbing headache, but the letters seemed blurred. When she looked at it from one angle, she could see his signature on it, but from another, it was blank.

She put it back on her bed, deciding to first get dressed, then wonder what was going on.

* * *

She was very confused. Her calendar said it was five months since that night. But how? Where did the time go?

She realized, something had happened. **He **must have done something on that mountain. She wondered if Dawn was going through the same thing.

It was then that she saw her. The woman that had caused it all to happen. Part of her was grateful for the idiot's existence, for without her, she'd never met Zero.

Then again, the moron had been making her club get a bad reputation. Best to nip that in the bud.

Besides. She realized. Dawn wasn't around when she woke up. But she wouldn't be surprised if the girl showed up soon.

And when she did, together, they'd find out what happened, from Zero…wherever he was.

**Wrath of a Trainer**

**Chapter VII: Aftermath**

"CECILIA!"

The blonde looked up, where just beyond the tree-line flew a group of Pokémon. Her eyes squinted to see through the glare of the setting sun. A voice she recognized as Dawn's called to her from atop a red and white one, just in front of a Gardevoir.

"Hey!"

She waved wildly, her proper appearance faltering entirely, not caring who saw her acting like a child.

With them was a Flygon, a Garchomp, and a Charizard. People departed off the Pokémon as Dawn ran up to Cecilia and gave the older woman a tight hug.

"GOD it feels like forever!"

"Five months to be exact, even though we were _supposed _to be having a sleepover only yesterday…"

"I know, none of us understand it either."

The rest of the group followed, Cecilia gasping as the red and white Pokémon, a Latias, as her mind matched image with name, shimmered before becoming a very pretty looking brunette with glasses.

"Wow…" She gaped, arms still around Dawn.

"I know, isn't she beautiful? That's Chihiro, Zero's Latias. And this-

"You're Hisui, aren't you?"

"**You know me?"**

"Only of. Zero…seemed to have an unusual reaction to my Gardevoir, comparing the two of you. Said she was skilled, but was 'no Hisui.' He surprised the heck out of me when he literally broke down her strengths and weaknesses. And we'd never met until then!"

"**Master…do you know where he is?"**

"You're all looking for him?"

Nods all around.

"Well…Someone told me this morning that there was a big shadow that hovered over the Villa during the early hours. And that people had been entering and leaving all day."

"Do you think it's him?"

"I don't know…" She held up a key ring.

"I've still got the keys…and the deed, even though it looks like he signed it…it's all so confusing…"

"I know." Dawn nodded. "That's why we're going up there to find out."

"Yeah, let's check."

The group walked along the gravel path to the Villa, making small talk along the way.

"Hey, is it true that you, Zero and Dawn had a threesome?" Open mouth, insert foot, Ash.

**THWAP**

"Really now, that's not the type of thing you ask a lady." Brock admonished.

"What it was just a question."

Cecilia's response was to blush furiously.

"I couldn't help it! The smooth bastard got me all riled up!"

"Hey, it's not _his _fault brains turn you on."

"Oooooh! Dammit Dawn!"

"And I did most of the work anyway. If it wasn't for me you'd still be-

"WE'RE HERE!"

Dawn silenced herself with a victorious smirk on her face. It was quickly becoming apparent to her old travel buddies that whatever was going on, she wasn't the girl they knew.

Another girl had joined them, just before they embarked on the flights to the Resort Area.

* * *

_I've spent forever looking for him. I'd heard tales of him left and right, Zero Shinzaki saves the world, Zero Shinzaki stops Team Rocket, Zero, Zero, Zero. But no matter where I went, he was already gone._

_And now…I've missed my chance…_

May, coming to Sinnoh to see if she could track down her old friend, ran into the group before they left. She wanted to see with her own eyes how her friend had grown.

"Totally not fair…I saw him first…"

Dawn stopped and looked back at May, surprised. _Could she be…_

The look quickly morphed into an unusual smile.

"Well…I **took **him first."

May glowered at the girl. "Yeah, well I've got a bigger chest, so there."

Dawn stumbled as if struck. "Oh…well played good madam…well played indeed."

Despite what sounded like harsh tone and words, the girls shared a smile that only they understood.

_I like you. He picked well._

"Ok, here goes."

Cecilia reached for the doorknob when the portal suddenly swung open.

Everyone's eyes widened as a black haired girl wearing what many thought looked like bondage gear, opened the door.

"GOOD LORD!" **THWAP.**

Brock flinched, clutching the back of his head.

"…I see. Very well. You may enter."

The girl stepped aside, leaving the door open.

"Nice to see you too Nyx."

"I'm sorry. We've just been rather busy all day…it's…difficult…furnishing a house like this, when one of the occupants is unconscious on the only bed."

What Cecilia had once called 'a big hall' was now transformed slightly. While it still was largely empty, a few couches, some tables, and a television and radio were scattered along the room.

And she was right.

Hisui slipped past everyone and ran to the bed. She stopped, as a neigh solid wall of force had appeared only a few feet away from it.

"**What?!"**

"Sorry. I didn't have time to warn you. But…that is what I meant."

At the side of the bed, facing the group, lay a Jolteon, covered in red lines, scars from its previous master. It lifted its head upon sensing people other than themselves, and growled slightly, not noticing Dawn.

Its growls awoke Ayane, the Espeon laying underneath one of Zero's arms, and under the pale arm of a little girl. She lifted her head and yawned, before taking note of the group, as well as Ziodyne's growls.

"**Peace, Zio. I sense the master's touch among many of their number. They mean us, and he, no harm."**

The growls lessened, but it still glared at the group, unsatisfied until Zero confirmed their relations himself.

The shifting of the feline forced Alma to stir. She slowly raised her head, blearily taking in the sight of so many people, and a Gardevoir, in their room. Her mind raced as memories from her other self's life as Zefie rushed through her head. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was she was looking at.

"Hisui…?"

"**I…know you, child?"**

"…you did. Once."

The Gardevoir's eyes narrowed, but Chihiro was the first to put it together.

"…Zefie…?"

Alma smiled slightly, and shook her head. "My name is Alma. Zefie…is part of me." She looked down, where Zero was still asleep.

"Hey…time to wake up."

He murmured. "…dun…wanna."

"I know you're tired Zee, but we have guests."

"show…room…"

"Nuh-uh. Trust me, you wanna wake up for this."

"Alma…the world could be ending…and I wouldn't give a crap."

"Fine, break Hisui's heart."

His eyes shot open. Ayane sensed what was going to happen seconds before it did, and wisely jumped off the bed. Alma, however, didn't expect his reaction, and took a full blast of unconsciously released Psychic energy to the face, crashing into the wall with a yelp of surprise as he shot up, eyes shimmering.

"Hisui?"

"**I'm right here Master."**

His head snapped to where he heard her voice, staring at her.

So many feelings rushed through him…but he needed one thing.

"Nyx."

"February sixth, Master Zero. Two-thousand ten."

He tore his eyes away from his beloved not-sister.

"We succeeded then."

"Yes master. The unification of both worlds was a success. Now…we just have to deal with the aftermath."

"Fuck aftermath. Hisui."

He opened his arms. She wasted no time. Leaping into his arms the two hugged, their psychic fields overlapping as the connection between them snapped into place once again.

Chihiro stepped over. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"Worst food ever Chihi, you'd be like…candy apple."

"Good save."

She hugged him as well.

"I'm home…I'm finally home."

"Oww…"

"oh…sorry Alma."

"Geez…talk about learning something the hard way…"

Ziodyne and Ayane jumped onto the bed, laying down next to Hisui and Chihiro. Alma snaked her arms around his neck, leaning her chin on his head.

"Shiranui?"

"Out. She's making certain of some things a little ways away from the entrance to the resort. You've been unconscious for a few days, we've taken upon ourselves to try to at least get the basic furnishings done."

"Ahh…thanks then…Where's-

His backpack began to glow. From within, shot out a few of his Pokémon.

"Akiha!"

"Blaze!"

He hugged his fire-breathing, kung-fu chicken tightly. "Gods I missed you. I missed all of you."

"**You seem to have added members to the family, Master."**

Everyone took notice at how his eyes brightened at that statement.

"Ziodyne."

"Jolt!"

"I found him wandering around outside Hearthome city. He couldn't put up much of a fight, so I took him to the Center. There, Alma translated for me, his last master was a douchebag rich kid. He wanted a Flareon and instead accidentally put a Thunderstone on his Eevee. After which, he'd treated the poor thing like crap. Well, Zio'd had enough and bolted, but…those scars were around since he was an Eevee, so they'll likely not ever fade."

"Eon…"

"It's alright though. Makes him look like a seasoned warrior. I told him he could come along if he wanted, I could make him strong enough to make that kid regret being such a cockbat. So he joined up."

"**As for myself, master had learned of a woman who had me, and was unable to properly care for me as she'd wished. She gave me to him as an Eevee, and being around his psychic field turned me into what I am now."**

"I still owe you that steak don't I."

"**Oh good, you didn't forget. I was almost afraid I'd have to remind you, forcibly."**

"No no, it's cool. I'll get at that once I'm…done making this place a place…now why the _hell _do I have this weird feeling in my head like someone's here that I should know, but I don't recognize?"

"I'm hurt. You forgot your best friend?"

He stared. "May…"

"Hmph, my kung-fu chicken is prettier than yours."

He gave a watery smile. "Bullshit. Mine has sparkles when she shows up. **Sparkles**. And they're **automatic.** You can't beat that."

May scrunched up her nose at him.

"C'mere, you."

She smiled and hugged him as well.

"Yeah, well my **Name **appears in the sky when I show up. I think that makes me the winner."

Zero turned his head to look back at the haughty look on Alma's face.

"You realize that only happens because I put those letters I used to name you on your Pokéball right?"

She gave him a wide-eyed look. "What?! You mean that's not natural?!"

"Nope."

"Oh…BULLCRAP!"

He smiled at her. "Sorry Alma."

"oooooh…lame! Totally lame!"

Dawn smiled…but realized she needed information. Something had happened, once again with Zero at the head of it, and she wanted to know what.

"I hate to wreck the moment."

Everyone looked at her.

"I really, really do…but…"

"You have questions."

"Just one. What's with the marks on Nyx?"

Zero sighed. Nyx tensed.

"Lemme guess…eyes unclouded?"

"Yeah. When I saw what she was, I saw them, all over. They don't look…pleasant."

Nyx muttered. "They aren't…but…they are remnants of my greatest folly."

Zero lifted a hand and motioned to Nyx. She sighed, and stepped forward, grasping her hand in his. The two locked eyes and radiated pulses that created a mild distortion around them, one that slowly overtook the entire hall, bringing the group, once again, into a full visual representation of a memory.

* * *

_Shit I'm too late!_

Zero raced through the innards of Mt. Coronet, cutting down any Galactic Members he encountered, no questions asked. Innocent or Guilty, it didn't matter. If it had the bowl-cut, it was felled. Some would survive, others wouldn't, it depended on where his strikes landed. He ran up the quite unnaturally formed staircase to the Spear Pillar, where Dialga and Palkia had already emerged. Their aura's radiated against one another, the Spatial Distortion emerging in the sky. As Zero grew closer, he was knocked back by a wave of force as a black shadow appeared behind Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic. The shadow took a semi solid form, looking like some manner of demon, before it reached out and engulfed Cyrus, dragging him into itself.

…_that's it. That's the thing that brought me here! That's the key to all of this!_

"Zero!" He glanced over. Cynthia had noticed him and was beckoning him over.

"What'd I miss?"

"You've seen everything important…this was in the legends…a guardian that ruled over an alternate world."

"Whatever it is, I'm going in there."

"What?"

"That's the key to a bunch of my recent problems." As he said this, the three Emotion Pokémon appeared and dived into the shadow.

"Well, if those three say its alright, I'm in. Later Cynth."

"Oh no you don't, Shinzaki. I'm coming along as well!"

The two ran into the inky darkness, not knowing what lay on the other side.

* * *

"Stupid, PUZZLES!" Zero kicked a rock, Shiranui and Alma next to him, watching it go flying….and keep going.

"…wait what?"

He picked up another small rock, tossing it through the air, watching it never drop.

"…wait a minute…" Alma tugged on his pant-leg. "Didn't the blonde lady say this place didn't follow the rules of…uhh…reality?"

"…she did." _If this place has no logic…or reason…_

A thought was building inside his mind.

_A place where Time and Space are intertwined, where neither has hold over the other…where reason, reality, and intent are all one thing…_

He closed his eyes, and stepped forward.

_I don't want to fall. I want to stay in the air._

He kept walking, chanting these words in his head until he no longer felt the ground beneath him. Yet…

…_I don't feel anything._

He cracked an eye open, as Shiranui and Alma stared in surprise.

He was floating.

_Oh…HELL yes._

* * *

The towering form of an unknown Pokémon was before them. The air bent around it as Ziodyne's electrical discharges seemed to pass right by. After a while of missing, Zero called him back, realizing that tactic wasn't going to work. He dived to the side as a massive spiked tail slammed into where he once stood.

Utilizing the mechanics of the world, Zero coasted gracefully to another platform, which had appeared before him, on its side.

This was a battle he was assisting in. Shiranui's attacks phased right through the creature, proving it was indeed at least part ghost.

_Sight Unseeing Shiro!_

The black and white Lucario nodded, flaring its aura as it flipped away from a wall of black. Walls of stone and trees would go flying as Ayane ripped them from the ground, hurling them at the great beast before her. The team had gotten separated willingly, to provide more targets for the beast to strike at, and more angles to attack.

Ayane quickly jumped to the side, evading a retaliatory wave of random objects hurled at her by the beast. It had no arms or claws, but the strange wiggling objects sticking out of its back reminded her both of tentacles, and wings at the same time. these objects would occasionally vanish in a distortion of air, and the tip of one would emerge somewhere nearby, attempting to strike. Lashing out at these things seemed to cause the beast at least some irritation.

She froze as all her senses screamed that one of them was right on top of her. She looked up to see a red spike rocketing for her head, before everything went black.

* * *

Zero replaced the Pokéball now containing Ayane within. He'd been just fast enough on the draw to get her out of there before she was killed…

A thought that sent chills down his spine, as something within was dislodged.

He leapt across, evading a red tipped tendril from striking at him. It was then that everything fell apart.

Seeing an opening, Alma floated up and charged a Shadow Ball. The beast, sensing the power behind the attack, reacted, its own violet aura ripping outward and slamming into Alma. Something seemed to shatter around the Mismagius, before she was rocketed backwards, slamming heavily onto a nearby rocky platform.

Zero's eyes widened in horror as he leapt from rock to rock, running along the perimeter of their battlefield, Shiranui not far behind. He stumbled his landing, and crawled over to Alma.

She looked like she wasn't breathing. Wisps of violet were beginning to slip off of her form.

"A-Al…ma?"

No response, not even a twitch.

* * *

(BGM: Akira - Tetsuo)

As he reached out a hand

_**Zefie, holding back a wall of darkness**_

to her fallen

_**the little girl reverting back to her Pokémon form, body fragmenting with every second**_

form, images

_**His mother, screaming at him and his sister to run, to get on the boat and go**_

flashed through his mind.

_**A splatter of red on the windows, as that deranged man sprayed his mother's brains all over the side of the boat as it left the dock**_

His hand

_**Hisui being lifted by the man-made Pokémon, her screams of pain ringing through his ears**_

Touched her body, feeling

_**Kohaku covered in multiple wounds, her clothing ripped to shreds, her body battered and broken, dull lifeless eyes staring at him with a hidden sadness**_

A slight pulse

_**Blood coating the walls and ceiling as he and Hisui both radiated fury, the man, his once step-father, now his entire family's killer, now nothing more than a fine red mist**_

Of life in her body. He pulled her to him, as the world seemed to stop.

_**Watching Rocket members slicing off tails. Dawn's body held against her will, almost entirely naked. Blood splattering everywhere. Flesh being ripped from bone.**_

…_I'm…tired…_

**It's alright…rest my dear.**

_I…I'm just…so tired…_

**Relax. It will all be fine.**

_She's dying…_

**She'll live. She's strong, a fighter. She didn't take as hard a hit as Zefie did. She'll live.**

_Why? Why me? Why us?_

**The fates must hate me. But it's alright. They can go shove it.**

_Am I cursed to forever lose my family?_

**This thing is the cause. This giant floating monster. It's a Pokémon, no doubt.**

_It brought me here. It hurt Alma…it hurt Dawn._

**Relax. I'll take care of it.**

_I'm…too tired to fight. She needs help…we need help._

**I can do it. Just rest.**

_That's…right. I can…_

**I made a promise. I made a promise to many people. I can't stop now.**

_I wanna go home…_

**I know. I do too. I'll make it pay…for everything.**

_Everything…just…_

_**Die.**_

* * *

_I think I overdid it._

It stared at the kneeling form of Zero, crouched over Alma's unconscious, fading, form.

_Yeah…I definitely overdid it. Dammit I wasn't supposed to __**kill **__her!_

It was then that it sensed a shift. Before it could ponder the meaning behind its sudden raging senses, a massive pulse ripped through the Torn World.

On the outside, a wall of black erupted from the distortion.

_What is-_

The thought would not become completed. Before its eyes, twin red beams lanced out from Zero's form, engulfing Alma and Shiranui both in its embrace.

Seconds after, the world Rumbled again. Only this time, was in response to the massive wall of pressure that had erupted from Zero's body.

_What in the world…_

He slowly stood. A curtain of black wisps of energy surrounded his body as it lanced into the air like writhing tentacles. He raised his head, locking eyes with Giratina.

…_no…emotion…_

His eyes were dead. Blank. And then…

He vanished.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, Giratina felt two small objects appear on its back where nothing was there before. As it turned its head to look, it felt two **big **objects wrap around two of its tendrils.

_What th-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_

An agonized roar ripped from its throat as Zero pulled. He'd reached out with two hands, the writhing shadow around him forming into claws and grasping onto two of the strange objects attached to Giratina's back. He placed a foot higher on the creature, as a stabilizer, and pulled his arms back.

The roars grew louder, the longer he pulled. The tendrils seemed to stretch as Giratina bucked and twisted, trying to get the human off its back…but to no avail. Marks of stress appeared at the base of the tendrils, fraying with every second.

And finally, he yanked his arms down.

With a sickening crunch, the tendrils snapped, ripping right off as a strange black substance bubbled and sprayed out of where they once were attached to Giratina. The roar turned into an incredibly agonized screech, before it was silenced by Zero suddenly appearing in front of it, slamming a fist into its face.

Giratina crashed into a rocky platform that it _knew _didn't exist before, pain still lancing through its body. It had no time to even think, however, because the black encased Zero slammed into its torso, before vanishing again as a gigantic boulder slammed into Giratina's face. The platform beneath it cracked with the initial strike, and having the boulder crash into it shattered the stone 'ground'. Once again, before it could gather its wits, tendrils of wood wrapped around its tail, as another platform floated beneath it, the trees twisting and bending into a hand that grabbed it, before it found itself being yanked around and crashing face first into no less than five other stone platforms that suddenly appeared in its path without warning.

That was before it felt another 'wing' snapping, only to screech in anguish once again as this one was bent backward, impaling its own body. Red eyes widened in pain and shock as the now almost completely solid black form of Zero materialized in front of it, reaching his arms out. Two massive black claws appeared from the writhing black field around him and grasped onto two giant boulders that **definitely **appeared out of nowhere.

_He's…he's…manipulating…the world…? H-how…?_

It was then, just before the shadowy claws pressed down on the boulders, crunching them into narrow pikes, that Giratina realized.

Its own home, was resonating in tune with this human, in ways that it had never responded to Giratina itself. Its own world had turned against it.

No further thought could be reached, as the twin pikes had now been jammed through its impassible scales, into its body. It realized, it couldn't shift to shadow. This human's control over the world had nullified its ability to be like the rest of its Ghostly kind, and shift into an intangible form.

_I picked well…perhaps…too well…_

Zero then made a clenching motion, shattering the earthly spears into smaller pieces, riddling Giratina's body with splinters, which usually would just be an irritant, but considering how badly it was being handled, it was just as painful as everything else. Once again, it couldn't think before it felt something solid slam into it. Zero had thrust both feet into its chest, right where the hole that once held an earthen spear was. A quick twist of his heel brought further agony to Giratina, before it was sent rocketing away by an aura-charged foot, brought around in a crescent motion that crashed straight into its neck.

Once again, it felt tendrils wrapping around it. A platform materialized before it, Zero standing atop it like some emotionless god. The tendrils of darkness were still whipping around, but not as chaotically as before. Giratina gathered its strength and reached its field out.

"**What…are you?"**

It didn't expect an answer. Especially not now, that Zero's body had become little more than a black shell resembling a human. Five claws upon two black gauntlet-like arms, five clawed feet, skinny almost chicken-leg-thin legs, an upper-body that looked like it was simply armor painted black, two long extensions of black that ended in a wicked hook, emerging from its back. An armored head that resembled that of a mantis, and long black strands of hair.

Imagine its surprise when it got a response.

"_**I…am a shadow. The true self."**_

"**Shadow…?"**

"_**My defenses do not block or restrict my emotions, like those of many psychics. I regulate my feelings, allowing them to run their course until they no longer have sway. However…far too many negative events have occurred. It is surprising that Hikari was the first to break, rather than myself.**_"

The meaning behind those words immediately became clear.

…_I broke him. Oh…crap._

"**I suppose…I cannot talk you out of this battle?"**

"_**Battle? Foolish beast, you are being slaughtered. This is merely a vent for me. You are nothing. This world…this wonderful plane…I can feel its 'rules'. And it resonates with me. You have injured someone I love dearly. You have kidnapped me from my life, my **_**family**_**. Your punishment is only beginning, beast.**_"

And he vanished.

* * *

It was that moment that Giratina realized what was happening.

The unspoken and unknown rule of the Torn World was that **anything **was possible. Time and Space, Reality and Logic had no meaning there. Reality was what you made of it, and logic was what you believed. Zero had already discovered this when he found out how to fly. The world responded to the strength of one's wishes. He wanted to stay aloft, and so he did. He wanted to be somewhere else, and found himself moving in that direction. He wanted to go up, he went up, down, he went down.

But even he didn't realize how far this went. Or rather, he did, but did not wish to risk his life, and the lives of his allies just to test a possible theory.

He was content with what he had.

But this new Zero, this Shadow, was different. No longer was it content with simply **going **somewhere. As Giratina realized, Zero no longer cared for rules or consequences. Rather than placing a request, which let him float, he commanded.

And that was something not even Giratina had figured out how to do.

No longer was his thought process 'I want to be over there.' Request became command.

Instead of him 'wanting' to be somewhere… 'I **am** there.'

* * *

And he was.

Within the blink of an eye, Giratina was once again sent hurling through the 'air.' Another blink, and it felt razor sharp pain on its back as Zero drew his sword, and swung twice, once up, and once to the left, before vanishing again.

Pop.

Down, right.

Pop.

Left, left, right, down, right.

Pop.

Down.

Pop.

Up.

Pop.

Down-right.

This continued for what felt like hours. He would vanish, and she would feel pain. He would vanish again, and something would happen. Boulders crashed into it, walls of fire appeared and engulfed it, spears of water would impale it before solidifying into sheets of ice that were shattered by pulses of air.

He appeared behind it, rocketing forward before curling up into a ball, sawing into its back with back blades extended. He vanished again, appearing below it before spinning upward like a top, multiple blades slicing through its scales.

And then he prepared.

Swords of light appeared in the air around him, firing off into all directions before repeatedly slamming into Giratina, before shattering to make way for others.

Zero floated backwards, gathering the remaining anguish in his heart, his Shadow personality preparing its final assault. He stretched his body outward, a wall of black erupting from him, crushing trees, boulders and atomizing water. Fragments of objects then began spiraling around him, gathering towards his body as the dome of black slowly compressed.

The hail of shimmering blades ended. Giratina floated, battered, bleeding, broken. Internally it screamed its pain and apologies, it wanted it to end.

It would get its wish.

The dome compressed to a small sphere before Zero's body. A small pulsing black orb. He pulled back his right hand, and then thrust it forward, launching the orb. It shimmered with black light as it raced along to Giratina, who didn't even attempt to consider dodging. The orb crashed into it, expanding to surround its entire body…

And the pain increased tenfold.

It felt every bone, every last part of its body become crushed. Its tail bent at an odd angle suddenly, as its body was twisted, contorted and pressured. Loud snapping sounds, crunching noises, ripping and tearing echoed through the Torn World. The golden 'mask' like apparition on its face seemed to crack and shatter in places.

It felt parts of its body fade, as fragments of its scales began lifting into the air. It was dying.

And it welcomed the feeling.

And then he snapped his fingers.

The world's colors inverted. Its pain stopped. It stared at Zero.

"_**No. Death will not come for you. Oh believe me. I'd love to end you. To watch your life become snuffed out like so many others. Such power, defeated in your own home because of your foolishness. But no. You will not die here. I still have use for you."**_

As he spoke, the darkness around him solidified into another orb…only this one changed, taking the form of a green and red sphere.

Zero casually hurled the Dusk Ball through the air, its movement unhindered by the halting of the flow of time. It crashed upon Giratina, aggravating its injuries one last time as its body felt like it was being pulled from all directions. It was sealed in the orb, and it landed on a small slab of ground that had appeared solely for it. The orb immediately settled.

It didn't even **bother **trying to struggle.

* * *

The vision ended.

They all stared at Zero, even his own Pokémon.

Alma simply hugged him tighter. She remembered the feeling of fading, being afraid she was going to die _again_.

Ash was gaping, struggling to speak. It was Sabrina who spoke for him. "You…almost killed…**Giratina**."

"Yeah."

"**How?!**"

"It was my own fault. I made a mistake, and forced him into a situation where he would end up resonating with my home. He took control of that world, and because he had full control over it, I was helpless. I screwed myself over when I forcibly brought him to that world, and I further did so when I didn't even bother trying to speak with him. And I wanted to have him do me a favor too? Hah, I'm still surprised you didn't just kill me there."

"Oh I wanted to. You brought back memories I'd rather let go of…that's the shitty thing about my life. Bullshit happens, and yet it ends up making me stronger in the end. Fuckin fate…"

_Oh my __**god **__I want him. I want him __**now.**__ Ugh…but he's got a girlfriend already…_

It was that thought that sent a small pulse. That pulse was picked up on by Dawn.

_So…that's the other. This brings me to both of the other feelings I picked up. I'm going to have to see what I can do about this…_

"Why though?!" Ash was still shocked to no end.

Much like before, at Canalave, wisps of black began wafting off of Zero's right hand as he held it up in front of his face, staring at his palm.

"Alma…is family." Visions raced through his mind once gain…only for once, they didn't have the searing emotions tied to them. He didn't notice Sabrina's sudden shock, sensing a massive force of negativity building slowly within him. He didn't feel Alma's arms squeeze around him tighter, as her heart glowed with his statement.

He clenched his fist, and the wisps vanished. "**Nobody **hurts _my _family." He looked Ash dead in the eye, and Ash took a step back as glaring red orbs flickered into place for a moment.

The front door slammed open. Shiranui had barged in.

"**Master Zero! We have a BIG problem!"**

Zero immediately stood.

"What is it, Shiro?"

She shook her head.

"**You must come! We need your help!"**

_We?_

Alma latched onto his back as he jumped from the bed. A quick stretch and Ayane and Ziodyne were right next to him. He ran past the group, which quickly followed. The smell of burning wood immediately assaulted his senses.

_Fire?!_

He ran out from the shadow of his Villa as a pained scream erupted from Cecilia's throat.

(BGM: Witch Hunter Robin - Flame)

"MY HOUSE!"

"**Someone said some weird people with oddly cut hair were mulling around the mansion not long before the fire started."**

"Zero what-

He jumped. Feet first, he slid down the hill separating his villa from the pathway of the Ribbon Syndicate. Immediately his psychic field lashed out, linking with Chihiro, Hisui and Ayane.

"Pull!"

**It won't work.**

Nearby trainers launched their water Pokémon, spirals of liquid shooting onto the raging flames. Chihiro fired as many ice beams as possible, following up with a few blizzards as well, attempting to cause enough frost to melt into water, to douse the flames. Hisui was grabbing clumps of earth and raining it down on the building, hoping the dust would snuff the flames.

_It's not enough._

Penelope and May's Wartortle shot out of their balls, spitting streams immediately.

**Even with all these people, the flames will still rise.**

"Mariel!"

"**Here, Mistress!"**

Cecilia's Gardevoir came running from the side towards the Pokémon center. The two embraced tightly, but Zero stared right ahead.

_The flames are too strong. At this rate they'll spread to the forest around here…_

…**there's more than one way to put out a fire.**

_We're doing everything we can! Nothing's working!_

Even fire Pokémon were carrying buckets of water and trying to douse some of the smaller flames.

_Mikoto cant be released, Chihiro could Surf but she needs a body of water nearby, Shenlong's in his box…_

**It's not a matter of Pokémon any longer. None of them can do what needs to be done.**

_More than one way…_

**Fire feeds on oxygen, the only way at this point is to snuff the flames by taking away its fuel.**

_But how?_

**Compress the air.**

_Air…yes…if I can take control of the air currents…_

**I simply compress the air around the building, remove the oxygen and the flames will be eradicated.**

_Would it not help to use a bit of moisture to dampen things as well?_

…**Make it rain.**

"**Ten wo **_**Ikazuchi!**_"

With a flick of his wrist, Zero launched out his Magneton.

"Make the heavens cry!"

The three magnets separated, floating around its master. They spun around him, before firing three golden beams into the air above him. The beams combined into one lance that shot into the sky. Moments later, a rumble of thunder was heard as heavy storm clouds materialized. A loud flash of lightning forked through the air, followed by a heavy torrent of rain.

It still wasn't enough…but it was a start.

_My turn._

Zero stepped forward. He held out a hand.

**Stop.**

Immediately a wave of…something…washed over the Pokémon present. They all froze as his mental command invaded their minds. They struggled for a moment, fighting the intrusion…before they all stopped what they were doing, and went back to their partner's sides, among waves of inquiries as to why they suddenly turned away from their trainer's commands.

"**Master?"**

He said nothing. He stepped forward and took a deep breath.

_**Let's rock.**_

* * *

Hisui took a step back as she sensed a suddenly **massive **well of power build up in her master. Seconds later, the air distorted as a wave of psychic force launched itself at the burning building. They watched the earth around the building suddenly become carved, as if a giant hand were tracing a circle around the perimeter of the mansion. His hands thrust out, Zero directed his will to create a **line **around the building, designating the cover area he wished to manipulate.

They saw the air heavily distort as his will enacted. What looked like a dome of warping air surrounded the mansion, as the flames seemed to twist and struggle almost like living beings as he forced the air around the building to compress.

_F-fuck! Harder…_

**To control than I thought…**

He took a step back, planting his legs firmly on the ground before pulling his arms back, and thrusting them forward again. The shimmering distortion seemed to ripple for a moment as a cloud of dust kicked up from the ring. Inside, dirt and dust were spiraling around as his mind grasped hold of them, coating the inner layer of the psychic field with particles meant to suppress the flames.

And for a bit…it was working. The flames were receding…

Until they struck a small propane tank, held in the basement for the occasional barbeque. With a loud **fwoosh** the flame rose up again.

**NO!**

_Dammit…I…_

**In hindsight, we probably should have linked with the Girls…**

_I…I can't fail here…_

Everyone gasped as the flames towered higher now, thanks to the added explosion.

_No…I __**won't **__fail here!_

**She doesn't deserve this. Such a kind girl…doesn't deserve to have her home lost to her.**

_I need…more. Anything…anyone…_

…**help.**

(BGM: Ar Tonelico 2 - Yume moyou -Kage-)

_**jyel, faf, jenhah, beja, guwo, gauzewiga... jyel, faf, jenhah, beja, guwo, gauzewiga...**_ _**jyel, faf, jenhah, beja, guwo, gauzewiga... jyel, faf, jenhah, beja, guwo, gauzewiga...**_

Nyx froze in place. Words, unintelligible words raced through her mind, cast from his.

_Loneliness, fear, misfortune, corruption, rage, despair...__ Loneliness, fear, misfortune, corruption, rage, despair... Loneliness, fear, misfortune, corruption, rage, despair... Loneliness, fear, misfortune, corruption, rage, despair..._

And then she felt it.

The same pulse as **back then**.

The pulse of herself, channelled by Zero.

Tendrils of black ripped from his body, whirling around him like tentacles of darkness. Shimmering at his chest was the Griseous Orb, the solidified presence of Giratina's power. Everyone jumped back in shock as the neigh solid black transparent objects emerged from his very flesh.

_**Synchronicity Chain!**_

**Power.**

_Giratina's power…_

**My power?**

_Her power?_

_**It doesn't matter. The power is now wielded by myself. Just like before.**_

_**Maybe it's not such a bad thing…having so much darkness within.**_

_I need to speak with Darkrai after this._

**I want answers.**

_**But for now…we have a house to save, a forest to protect and a life to fix.**_

Those who had seen the vision of memory had an inkling of what this was, but those that hadn't were surprised, and some even horrified.

Luckily for Zero, nobody recognized him.

He loosed a primal roar, and the tendrils seemed to come together. The dome around the house vanished in a wave of power, but Zero had already replaced it with something better.

_**With this power, space bends to my will. While not as easily controlled as in That World, Resonance with the lord of Space can convert matter to nothingness.**_

_**I shall cast down these flames, and rend them from this world.**_

The tendrils formed into giant claws, and with a single movement, the claws wrapped around the perimeter of the building, merging into a solid black dome as Zero's arms crossed in front of his chest. With a growl, the dome seemed to shrink slightly, before Zero ripped his arms to the side, the dome twisting and rending with the motion.

As wisps of black faded from before them, the flames had been snuffed out, drawn into the ether by the spatial distortion allowed by Palkia's charge. The human had earned his respect, and when his soul cried for assistance, the Spatial Pokémon was more than willing to lend his assistance.

Unknown to either of them, Giratina, when she drew Zero between dimensions, had already granted him her blessing. Something even she was unaware of.

And then something changed. The tendrils all wrapped around Zero's right hand, now resembling solid black chains.

_**The power of Time is not something to be trifled with Lightly. However, there are some small events that need not have occurred in the first place. While all stones cast their ripples, some ripples need not be formed. I ask the world, return to her, her home, her life. It need not be taken.**_

He snapped his fingers.

The world seemed to distort for a few moments, and when it stopped, the mansion serving as the primary location for the Ribbon Syndicate had returned to its original glory. The black aura vanished instantly, and Zero dropped to his knees.

"Bloody hell…"

**Probably not the best idea to go warping reality so soon after expending almost my entire life's energy in merging two worlds together.**

…_compared to that, this was cake. I feel…lighter…_

**I wonder…maybe using that power cleanses me of my darkness? Hmm…I'll have to hold off on using that too often then. Never know when I'll need it.**

_Yeah…I definitely should have linked with the girls for this one._

"…oh well…now I know for next time…" He unintentionally leaned backward, landing in Cecilia's lap, who had just run up behind him tearfully.

"Oh hey Cece."

"Thank you! Thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou**THANKYOU!"**

"Dual purpose Cece…if that place burned any longer…this whole area would have been lit up. Too much death, no purpose. Couldn't let that happen."

"**Master you're insane."**

"You've been in my head Hisui, you're **just **coming to that conclusion _now?_"

The Gardevoir simply shook her head, as Chihiro giggled. Alma whacked him on the head. "Idiot! You should have let us help!"

"Sorry. Didn't cross my mind until _after _I'd already started, and by then it was too late."

"**Are you going to be sleeping all day again?"**

He let out a laugh. "Hah, no…I think I'll be fine. Just gimme a few minutes. It's a lot harder to warp the world here…"

"Well no crap. This isn't the Torn World you know."

"Yeah…but that thing that showed up twice now, I think it has something to do with it."

Nyx scoffed, holding out a glowing hand to Zero. Zero slowly took it, with a raised eyebrow, feeling something flood through him. As the feeling faded he felt more awake.

"Of course it does, it **is **my power after all."

He stood, with Nyx's help. Cecilia quickly wrapped her arms around him from behind, something he simply shifted to adjust to, used to Alma doing the same, only higher.

"Elaborate."

"That, is what you humans call the **Griseous Orb.** It is a modest fragment of my power, separated from myself long ago. The why, eludes me at the moment, but suffice to say, _that _was the main reason I grabbed you."

"You wanted me to get it back."

"It was located somewhere in the Torn World, hidden to even my senses. I needed someone to retrieve it…I didn't realize that it had a will of its own."

He held out his hand and a ghostly grey sphere appeared hovering over it. "I think it likes me."

"Of course. You have an unusual balance of elements within you, a balance that echoes my own existence. From the looks of things, it has bonded with you."

"Wooooonderful. Another thing to make me weird…"

Dawn slipped an arm around his. "You're still cute though." He blinked at her.

"**I wouldn't so much call him cute. He has gotten handsome though. Ahh, I remember when he was just a scrawny little nerd-human…"**

"You're evil, you know that?"

"**I learned from the best, Master."**

Zero looked away, grumbling about annoying not-sisters and their stories. Some of the others had convinced the wandering trainers that everything was fine now, and the crowds began to disperse.

Zero sighed. "So what now?" He flinched and clutched his head.

_**Magma, rock, sand, people, Galactic, a four legged Pokémon, the feeling of North.**_

"Zero!"

He groaned, climbing to his feet. "Bloody hell…" A familiar presence filled his mind. The feeling of a great deal of time passing filled his heart. "I think…Dialga just sent me a vision."

Nyx blinked. "Wait he can do that?"

Zero held out his left hand, a shimmering purple sphere appeared in it. "I guess he gave it back to me." The Adamant Orb floated above his palm.

Nyx gained a thoughtful pose. "Interesting…even they sense the potential within you…what did you see?"

"Not much, just scattered bits and pieces of things. Something about magma to the north."

Cecilia spoke up. "There's an inactive volcano to the north. It's part of the Survival Area. Ash is always spewing from it. You can reach it from the Fight Area or just going up from here."

"That's it then. I think Dialga sent something about Team Galactic too. Maybe they're up there."

Dawn nodded. "It's worth a look. But…there's a lot of us…"

"Obviously I'm going."

"No shit. I think I'll go too. We didn't really travel together much there…I wanna make up for that."

"If she's going I'm going." May jumped in. "I haven't seen you in _years_. I'm not passing this up."

"I think…" Sabrina started speaking, surprising everyone. "I'm gonna tag along. Four people shouldn't be too much right? Besides, it's been forever since I've actually _traveled_. Being a Gym Leader tends to have me in one spot for a long time. I'm technically on vacation anyway…"

"Alright. We'll head to the center and get ready there. Nyx?"

"I'll stay behind. I can mind the house for you, and if you need my help, you have the Orb with you. You can contact me through it."

"Ok. We all set then?"

Everyone nodded. "I'll spread word that you guys are heading up there. Some of my friends tend to go up there a lot to train so they can keep an eye out for things if it gets too dangerous."

Zero gave Cecilia a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You're the best Cece." "I owe you three times over now Zero, this is the least I can do."

"Alright, we set up at the center. We'll decide who we're taking there. Lets roll!"

* * *

_**So…the lord of Time and the lord of Space have granted him their blessing…**_

_**The imbalance is repairing itself…yet…I still feel I must move soon…**_

_**Zero Shinzaki…your life…interests me…**_

* * *

**A/N: **New Chapter Get!

Holy hell, Zero's got some power to him. And I know, the Orbs don't let you do stuff like that but DAMMIT they boost Dialga, Palkia and Giratina's power, you'd think that means they have **some **sort of connection. May's here! And Sabrina is tagging along! Two powerful Psychics and two normals? I think that's a decent combination. Actual Pokémon Battles are to come next chapter…which probably wont be for a while because I still have to do the whole Survival Area sidequest…oh balls.

Hunter 1: lets see if you recognize any of the songs in this one. And the world didn't end. It got fused.

D&S Master: Division by Zero IS indeed powerful. Thankfully, for the world that is, it only exists by name here.


	9. Interlude

**Interlude**

**Memory Lane**

"We rest here for now."

The group of three girls and one guy had stopped. Night was beginning to fall, and they'd made a decent trek. Not far from where they were, they could see specks of ash flying down through the air.

"oh good, I'm beat." Sabrina said, dropping on her pack. "damn, you three are certainly in better shape than I am."

"You're a psychic trainer, Sabri. All you have to do is sit on your ass while your Pokémon do all the work." Zero quipped.

Sabrina grumbled a bit at that.

"Actually, I'm more surprised _you're _here May. Especially with the way I left."

The brunette looked down at the ground, before taking off her bandanna and shaking out her hair. She hated sleeping with it on.

"I know…look, I'm really sorry. I said…stuff I shouldn't have."

Zero just looked at her.

"Wait, what happened between you two?" Dawn asked.

"She said she hated me, and wished my step father had at least taken an eye out before he went."

Dawn's head immediately snapped to the brunette, eyes suddenly lighting up with rage.

"_**WHAT?!"**_

_Ok, that look? I never want that directed at me again._ May leaned back, scared out of her wits. The midnight blue haired girl was glaring at her in a way that promised immense pain.

"I was pissed ok?! All I knew was that he was blaming my father for his sister being dead! My dad was in the hospital for months after that, recovering from having both his arms crushed! For a while they thought he wouldn't ever be able to move his arms again…"

Sensing Dawn's slowly gathering psychic energy, Sabrina interjected. "Ok, wait. Start at the beginning."

"My mother set things up with a man named Norman. May's father, Norman knew her growing up so he owed her a couple favors. My step-father, who turned out to be a mass murderer, had been tracking us down for a couple years. She pulled some strings and got us a boat to Hoenn. Before…before we got there though…_he _showed up. Kohaku and I got on the boat, and my mother had the captain take off…but…_he _killed her. Blew her brains out on the side of the boat."

May had tears in her eyes. She knew the story, told it from her father. The guilt of what she'd said to Zero before he left had been eating at her for years now. Dawn gasped, and Sabrina looked a combination between pissed and sick to her stomach.

"We got to Hoenn, and moved into a house in Littleroot. A couple days later, I met May and Professor Birch. Kohaku…pushed me into going on a trainer's quest, saying that it was a good opportunity. I didn't want to…but…she had a way of getting you to do stuff. That's when I got Akiha. After that I did all the stuff you've heard about, dealing with Aqua and Magma, beating and calming Kyogre, Groudon and summoning Rayquaza…and when I finally came home…"

Immediately Hisui came out of her ball, as did Akiha, Alma and Chihiro. Chihiro and Hisui wrapped their arms around him, while Alma sat in his lap, pulling his arms around her. Akiha just slipped behind, kneeling, her arms around his neck. Sabrina almost gasped. She could literally sense the love and sadness coming off of those four Pokémon, the strand of memories linking them together.

She could _feel _the pain within him, and it made her want to cry, vomit and scream all at the same time. _If this…is just a fragment…jeez…even in my emotionless state back in the day…even when __**I **__was in pain…it was nothing…compared to this…how the __**hell **__is he still functional?!_

"It was a sunny day. I remember it because I'd just spent the night riding back from the league. I was full of energy. I still had little interest in the status I'd attained, but not everyone can say they went from having practically no money or interest in Pokémon, to being pretty well off, and Champion of an entire region.

I get home…Hisui next to me…and Kohaku was on the ground…clothes torn…covered in stab wounds…dead. And I saw the man who did it, he came out from behind the kitchen counter, still holding the bloody knife. I…lost it. I just remember feeling…so…**angry**. It felt like my head was going to explode. I remember yelling…and _feeling _Hisui next to me. Not seeing her, not touching her but…_perceiving _her, in a way I never had before. And I could feel she was angry too. Next thing I know…half the furniture is shredded, his clothes are in tatters, and just…globs of red all over the walls.

A couple days later, we buried Kohaku behind the house, and I had Akiha burn the place to the ground. I left all my games, all my toys, all my clothes except for the ones I was wearing. I wanted nothing to do with that place. Some people tried to stop us, but we just blew them all away. I wanted to leave. To leave Hoenn, forever. So I decided to go. I didn't know or care where. I called up the guy who'd been trailing me, Scott, told him that he had a choice. He could get me a way out of Hoenn, or I'd get Rayquaza to blow the Battle Frontier off the face of the planet.

He'd seen what I was capable of, so he didn't think I was bluffing. He said he could get me a ticket to Johto, half price, to leave in the next three days. I took his offer, and headed for Slateport."

"It was there…" May took over, voice hollow. "That we all ran into him. Me, my dad, my mother and my little brother. About an hour's walk from Petalburg, we crossed paths…and when my dad called out to him…I should have known to just have him run…because a tree not too far from Zero and Hisui, exploded. I had my own Blaziken out at the time, because Max wanted to check something on my Pokédex. I knew something was wrong when she just started shivering suddenly. It wasn't even cold.

But…Zero took one look at my dad…and he stopped moving. I was horrified. My dad was starting to float in the air, struggling against some sort of invisible hold. Zero started accusing him of failing him and his sister, saying that it was my dad's fault Kohaku was dead, that it was my dad's responsibility to have watched the house, like he promised to. I remember yelling at Zero, telling him to stop, not that I even knew what was going on.

I…heard my dad start to scream. His arms had been bent backward in a way they aren't supposed to be. I remember calling for Bella to stop Zero…and watching as she tried. Her flames were snuffed in seconds, and Hisui just flung out an arm. Next thing I knew, Bella was being clubbed in the head by a tree. When she dropped to the ground, I thought she was dead…I was so scared. My dad dropped next to her. I ran to both of them, putting Bella back in her ball, and trying to keep my dad conscious. I screamed at Zero, and he looked at me…and…I thought I was going to die there. His…your eyes…they looked so…dead…and hateful…I really thought you were going to just kill me there. But…then you just left. He turned…and walked away.

A few months after you left, when my dad woke up, I told him I hated you. He said if he could move his arms, he would have slapped me upside the head for that. He told me…you were right to be angry with him…that he _did _fail you and your sister. He told me the arrangement your mother made with him, how he'd find you all a place to stay, hidden away from your step-father…how after your mother died, he promised you and your sister he'd have someone nearby at all times, just in case. He said…that was the one day, he didn't get the chance to go himself, because he couldn't find anyone to head out for the day. The guy on day shift said his kid was sick…but my dad had a bunch of trainers ready to challenge him, and I was taking the long way back from the League, after seeing you there. So he said he left things alone, and that he was going to head out as soon as he could…but by that time…it was too late.

I felt…horrible. After he told me **how **your sister was killed…all the crap you'd been through…it all linked up with the stuff you had to deal with while you were traveling. You saved the world Zero, a world that had done nothing so far but give you crap for luck. You did stuff, no kid our age should have had to. And what was your reward? Your sister being killed, your stepfather's blood being on your hands, and…"

She looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"And your only friend…your only _human _friend…screaming at you and calling you horrible things! When…when I learned…that all you really had coming here, were a few toys, and your sister…and now you were gone, with **nothing **meaningful left…the guilt…it's been eating at me for years! After I found that out…I knew…I knew I just _had _to find you. I **had **to make things right. I'd been following your trail for the past few years Zero. Every time I heard of you doing something, I raced for that location, only for you to have been gone for days, if not weeks. I'd always run to the last spot you were seen, the last place you'd touched…and I'd always be too far behind.

But then…when that Aurora appeared in the sky, and the news said it originated from Sinnoh, I knew I found you. I _knew _you were still here. I blew almost my entire account getting an express ticket to Jubilife city. I remember blacking out on the way…but when I woke up, we'd landed. And then I ran into Dawn and the others…and I got scared again. I didn't know…how you'd react…to seeing me again. And then…and then…when you said…you _felt _someone that you hadn't seen in a long time…I just…I almost bolted. I was so…so messed up…I couldn't think right. And the first thing out of my mouth was practically an insult! But…you just smiled at me. You smiled the smile I…missed…all those years…"

She burst into tears, before stumbling and jumping into his arms, screaming her apologies the entire time.

"…your life's just been shitstorm after shitstorm huh kid…?" Sabrina spoke quietly.

"Pretty much…"

"Well, that's going to change!" Dawn declared. Everyone looked at her, even the Pokémon. Zero rose an eyebrow.

"Well, you're champion of four different regions. You've lived through hell and back, you've saved the planet at least ten times over, you managed to combine efforts with three godlike Pokémon to _merge two realities together_, you saved _my _life and purity, you've got gym leaders, ex-champions and even government authorities in your debt." She began.

"You've got your Pokémon family, of whom you're occasionally adding new members to, you've got a god-class Pokémon who can turn into a total sex queen in your debt, and you've got us." She finished proudly.

"_**Us**_?" Zero questioned. "Don't you mean _me_. And by me I mean you?"

"Nope. Us."

"Ok…enlighten me."

"What, you think May is outside of your charms?" The brunette in question began to stutter.

"Wh-what? I-I don't-

"Zero, let me tell you something about us girls. You _really _think she would have flown off the handle like that back then, if she didn't have at least a small crush on you?"

Zero pondered that for a moment.

"And to top it off, she spent the rest of her life, even if it was only a few years, searching for you, for the sake of _apology_. No matter how bad we feel, a girl won't just up and do that unless we have a thing for someone." Dawn spoke smugly.

"…May?" Zero looked at the girl in his arms. Her cheeks flared red and she began smiling nervously. "Is this information accurate?" May just nodded, ever so slightly.

Then they all turned to Sabrina.

"What?"

"Well?" Dawn spoke.

"Well what?!" Sabrina's hackles began raising.

"Are you going to admit it as well?"

"There's nothing to admit!" Unlike the brunette, Sabrina had years of psychic training behind her. Her will was iron clad.

At least…that's what she _thought_.

"Right, and you didn't practically declare to the world you wanted to jump his bones after you saw what he did to Giratina."

A slight widening of the eyes was the only response. _Now _Sabrina was getting flustered. "Wh-what?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Oh come _on_. You were broadcasting so damn loud I'm surprised his girls didn't hear you."

"I…alright…fine, I admit…I've been interested in him for a while. But not like _that!_"

"Oh stop lying! You want him and you know it! I know what I _felt _from you Sabrina. Remember who got him laid here!"

"I-you-what?!"

"The threesome with Cecilia? All my idea. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't have known he was making the girl's panties wet just by talking at her!"

While Dawn and Sabrina battled wills, Zero and May were just watching the two, slightly surprised.

"Is that true?" May whispered to Zero. "Huh?" "That it was Dawn's idea?"

"Oh…yeah. Blasted girl tricked me. I was kinda…preoccupied with what was gonna happen soon, the whole uniting two alternate realities thing. Cecilia's major turn-on is intellectuals. Dawn trapped me in a word loop, tricking me into going into description mode, and explaining some of my tactics, methods and theories. Next thing I know, I hear the two implicating something suspect, and then Dawn out and says she wants to screw me. Combine surprise with another word loop, and Cecilia's practically ripping my clothes off while Dawn holds me down."

May, flushing at the thought of involving herself that way with her crush, wanted to know more about his exploits…all of them.

After all, she had a lot of time to make up for.

"Why were you interested in him, Sabrina?" She asked, cutting into the other two's argument. Alma was just watching everything, small smile on her face, while Hisui and Chihiro were both blushing slightly at the complete confirmation that their trainer had been involved in a three-way. Akiha was lost in thought, remembering the fight against the Psychic leader.

"…he beat me with two Pokémon. Akiha and Hisui."

"That was a fun fight."

"Fun?! You had me on the damn ropes the entire battle! It wasn't _fun_! It was stressful!" The psychic girl barked out.

"Not my fault you were still thinking around the box."

She just huffed. "Explain dear?" Dawn asked.

"I'd spent a day letting everyone recover from trouncing Team Rocket at Silph Co. Then I visited the Fighting Dojo, for some tips on hand to hand combat. I impressed them with some of my theories, and some of the things I'd practiced myself, and taught my team. They said that they wanted to become a real gym, but because Sabrina's gym kept trouncing them, they couldn't. I mentioned I'd encountered a fighting type gym in Hoenn, where there was _also _a psychic type gym, just not in the same city. I also mentioned that the psychic gym was run by _twins_."

"Tate and Liza, right? Yeah, those two were pretty good." May added.

"Yeah well…back then I had Lucied and Hisui shut them down something fierce. Palom and Porom weren't too happy then."

"Palom…and…Porom? I thought you said their names were Tate and Liza." Dawn was confused.

"Final Fantasy Four reference…" Sabrina muttered. Everyone looked at her.

"What?!" They kept staring. "For at least seven years my head was so fucked up from psychic overload I'd split my personalities. I played a lot of video games and shit during those years, so sue me!"

"Just surprised is all, Sabri. Not many played four on this side of the pond till the remakes came out. But yeah, anyway, after telling them that, they asked if they could come and watch me take on Sabrina. So I did."

"God you were such an annoying little ASS! I'm used to people getting flustered and confused at my tactics, but you just brushed them off like they were nothing! You kept hitting my Abra whenever she teleported! Every. Single. TIME!"

"Well…I _did _have Akiha face off against Hisui every now and then. With Psychics and Ghosts being two of her major weaknesses, I had Hisui keep warping around so Akiha would have to pick up the pace, and learn to anticipate. Honestly Sabri, your Abra wasn't too much of a challenge considering they warped similarly. Since Abra didn't move on her own, and Hisui would randomly move when teleporting, it was a similar tactic."

"HOW?! How the _hell _did you do it?!"

"Energy discharge."

"Zero…please…tell me." She was begging. After her defeat at Zero's hands, even though she kept knocking them down, she was treated as somewhat of a Joke by the gym next to hers.

"Psychics change the world Sabri. They form a command, and extend their power to make it real. That level of reality distortion always leaves some form of mark, even if it fades quickly. Hisui helped me understand this, and together we helped all my other Pokémon learn how to sense these discharges of power. The rips in reality left behind by a teleporting Pokémon all have the same feel to them. All I had to do was have Akiha master what these rips felt like, and she could sense not only where someone was, but also, where they were going to be. Not to mention, you fucked up."

"How?!" She was desperate, and it was reflecting in her voice.

"You didn't fully synchronize until your Alakazam came out, and by then, it was too late."

Her eyes widened. "…no…"

"Yeah. Because you didn't link entirely with them, you weakened Abra and Kadabra. With Abra, the weakness manifested as her being unable to react upon re-entry into the physical plane from her teleports, which is why after the first five evasions, Akiha was able to not only predict where she would appear, but strike her because you weren't boosting her."

"…and Kadabra?"

"Well, since I called Akiha back so she'd be ready for anything else, Hisui took the field. Kadabra has a stronger base pool of mental energy to draw from, and after a few almost even clashes between us, I knew how to handle him. See, the Abra line has absolute _**shit **_for taking physical damage. Hell most psychic Pokémon do. Which is why they use Barrier and Reflect to reduce attacks efficiencies. But the Abra line is _known _for it. So what I did, was have Hisui start bombarding Kadabra with mental assaults, then divert her attention to the Gym itself."

"What do you mean?" May asked. She hadn't seen any of his gym fights, and when they battled, it was at a time _before _he started applying his personal touch to his Pokémon.

"He started tearing apart my gym. Hisui would grab lamps, chunks of walls, slabs of the ground, glass, even the metal rafters. The worst bit is that there is no rule against using the gym itself as a weapon. So Kadabra dropped pretty quickly…"

"So what happened with the Alakazam?" Dawn asked.

Sabrina just lowered her head, rubbing her temples. "Hell."

"She'd caught on to my plan, and finally Synched up with her Pokémon. So now, Alakazam was able to fend off the mental and physical strikes Hisui was throwing at it. So I came up with a _different _plan."

"He kept swapping Pokémon. Akiha would dash around, taking potshots with small fireballs whenever she could, generally trying to get an opening to land a straight hit. Even with me being an extra set of eyes and directives, Alakazam couldn't land a strike. She was just too fast. So I had him fan his field out, and when that happened, Zero called Akiha back, and sent in Hisui. Hisui would nullify Alakazam's field with her own, while creating small pocket fields to try to crush him, and at the same time, lashing out with whatever objects she could find. I'd have him reign his field in, and start taking single blasts at Hisui, but then Zero would swap, and Akiha would be back, and it'd begin all over again."

"The game of tag was wearing her down, but not fast enough. So I figured that I'd have to up the ante a bit. I had Akiha sidestep a pulse, and retaliate with a single stream of fire. Sabri had her Alakazam pull up a barrier to block the flames, but that's what I wanted in the first place. I had Akiha switch to one good fireball, then I swapped Hisui in. Hisui pushed everything she had, and made a small dome around the fire, that would basically be a wall of compressed air. This wall would keep the flames around the Alakazam, kinda like a modified Fire Spin. I swapped back to Akiha, and had her launch another flamethrower, right in a very small space in the compressed air wall."

"I couldn't have Alakazam teleport out, because we were focusing on keeping the flames at bay. The problem was, the compressed air acted as a heat trap."

"Oh…wooooow…" May realized what happened next.

"Yeah. Since even Alakazam isn't powerful enough to control **concepts**, the heat started getting to him, and since Sabrina was synched with him, it started getting to her too. The plan was to keep up the firewall until Alakazam dropped."

"Problem was, I hadn't fully synchronized with a Pokémon in years. Not only that, but I felt the heat as if I were right in the flames."

"I must say, for a person who doesn't get out much, you have a _very _nice body."

A slight tint of red caressed Sabrina's cheeks. "Wait, you mean she-

"Started taking off my clothes. Anything to try to keep cool so I could hold up the barrier. I mean, I figured Akiha _had _to be getting tired at this point."

"She would have been, if I wasn't refreshing her."

"_WHAT?!"_

"Yeah, I have a small psychic link with _all _of my Pokémon. It's just strong enough for me to give them some of my physical energy should I need to. It wouldn't be until I met Shiranui did I realize I was tapping into the power of Aura to do it."

Sabrina just shook her head, continuing the story. "…eventually it got to the point where I was starting to see spots. I knew I couldn't take it anymore, my throat was dry, my head was pounding, and I was covered in sweat. I felt gross beyond belief."

"I'm gonna cut in here for a small second and say, even if it was sweat, you looked _damn _good soaked like that." Zero said.

Sabrina just blushed a bit more, held her head high, and continued her story.

"Anyway…I withdrew from the link between Alakazam and I."

"That's when I saw him flinch, and when I saw that, I knew I'd won. See, when a psychic is fully synchronized, and they break the link between them and whoever they're connected to, the one on the other end gets hit with psychic backlash. Alakazam was stunned, so I had Akiha head right in, and deck the fucker. **Shin-Shouryuken **to the chin. Alakazam was out like a light."

Sabrina nodded. "Seeing all that, I levitated the Marsh Badge to him, proclaimed him winner and essentially wanted to learn more about him and his tactics. Unfortunately, as soon as he left, I puked all over the place, and fell unconscious."

"Wait what?" Zero was concerned.

"Apparently I'd taxed both my mind and my body to the point where I made myself sick. I was nauseous for a few days, had an almost eternal headache, and I think I got a heat stroke too. I spent the next few days hovering over the toilet, and sleeping in a little kiddie pool we set up in the bigger bathroom for me. That, was _not _fun. But on the other hand, during the moments of clarity of my mind, just before I'd fall asleep for a small nap before the inevitable heaving of my stomach began again, I found myself thinking back to that fight, and how _incredible _it was, to meet someone who could **decimate **me like that.

I mean, I've been beaten before, by Ghost users, and Dark users, even psychic users. But the losses were few, and far between. And then you come along, using two Pokémon I'd only heard about and seen pictures of, and you completely wipe the floor with me. Your tactics, your style…the way you just swapped ideas on the fly, it was incredible. And I couldn't wait to hear about you winning the league…I wanted to issue a challenge to you, but since you left so quickly I couldn't get any personal information to you…"

"…I made you sick?"

Sabrina sighed. "It was years ago, Zee. It taught me a lesson of my own limits."

"I made you sick though."

"No, I made _myself _sick, when I didn't obey my senses and body's instincts and just pull my mind away before it was too late. I…was indignant. And that is what made me sick, not you."

Zero frowned, not happy with the explanation.

"So…you fell for him because he kicked your ass?" Dawn mused.

"I-what-I never said I fell for him!" Sabrina was back to being indignant. "He interests me! That's all!"

Dawn just stared at the older girl. Sabrina locked eyes with the younger teen, and twitched as Dawn's eyes glowed for a second. Sabrina gasped as her consciousness was overloaded by an unknown feeling.

But whatever it was…it felt damn good.

"That…what?"

Dawn just smiled.

"You…I…you feel…_that_?"

"Every time."

"Holy shit…"

"Don't you want that for yourself?"

Sabrina started to nod. "But…no. he's got you…and maybe May now. I'm not even-

"Oh stop trying to convince yourself. You're interested in him. You're interested in more than just what he's capable of with his mind. I _heard_ you, Sabrina. You like him like that, and you know it. Age doesn't matter here, only feelings. It's not as strong as what I, or even May feels for him, but you feel similarly for him the way we do. I'm fine with sharing, mostly because he's worth it, and also because he tends to find himself in situations where he has to fight alone…and having someone who understands the worry I feel in those times, is always a good thing.

May feels both too much guilt, and too much love for him to care about anything but him. Just give it a shot. If it works it works, if it doesn't, it doesn't. He's not the type to make things awkward if things go south."

"I…Zero?"

"I'm…a bit overwhelmed right now, really."

"Just think about it hun." Dawn spoke softly. "I'm not going to be at your level any time soon. If ever. Hell I really doubt my own psychic abilities will even get halfway to as strong as you two are. And May has absolutely none at all. You _need_ someone outside of your Pokémon to synch with at the level you can reach. You need someone you can hold and connect to. Someone you can resonate and make love with at that level. I mean, I _guess _you could do that with the girls-

"But I wouldn't _want _to. They're sisters to me."

"Exactly, plus interspecies stuff…weird."

Zero just stared at her, muttering something about not being a furry.

"Look, just…give it a try? You said it yourself, you liked how she looked wet and nearly naked. Might as well go for the whole package right? I mean, you're living every guy's dream right now. Two cute girls and one hot woman all want you and are willing to share. Outside of your sometimes insufferable honor, can you really say no to that kind of setup? May knows you from childhood, but has a massive gap in knowledge because of distance and events. I'm close to you from you saving my life and me forging that mental link with you, and the connection made from having sex. And Sabrina is one of the few people who have faced your mental onslaught and lived to tell the tale. She can match your power, and help calm it if your girls can't. Alma told me you almost broke down when you woke up on Sandgem beach not being able to feel Hisui and the others, so mental stability assistance is _definitely _a plus."

"…May?"

"I like you. A lot. I can't say I love you…yet…there's too much…bad air between us still. I want to clear that…and then…I'll be able to say with certainty how I really feel. But right now I know I want to be around you as much as possible. I never really knew how much I missed you until yesterday."

He turned to Sabrina.

"…" She said nothing at first, cheeks flushed, before locking eyes with Zero and practically throwing a series of images and sensations into his mind. He blinked rapidly as he processed it, confused as all hell.

"Wait…you what?!"

"**Don't**…say it. Please…just not out loud. I'm not ready for…that kind of information to be common knowledge."

"…seriously?"

She scrunched up her face at him. "You really think I'd make up something like that?"

"No…but…it's…surprising really."

Dawn just smirked, having a faint idea of what was contained in that information dump.

"The attraction is there. I'll admit, you're younger than I'd like, but…that just means more time for you to get even _better _looking. You've got some emotional baggage but honestly…we all do. And…there _is _the bonus of being able to claim you as mine among the Gym Leaders. Though…I'm pretty sure Jasmine will be pissed at me."

"Jasmine?" Zero said, bewildered.

"Oh yeah. Girl's got it _bad _for you, ever since you helped her Ampharos. She's just too shy to out and say it."

"She…was…around here recently…" Dawn's face lit up at this.

"No. Bad Kari. No more girls."

"What, you want a guy then?" She asked, a bit too sweetly.

"Would you- NO! just…ugh…I'm barely sure I can handle _three _girls. I mean…I'm really not all that speci-OWW! Dammit Hisui!" The psychic maiden had slapped Zero upside the head.

"**I told you not to insult yourself like that. Obviously, regardless of what **_**you **_**think, you **_**are**_** special to these girls."**

"She's right." Dawn said. "All I want is for you to finally be happy…we can't…give you your past back…but…"

"We want to make your future, a good one." May added.

"I say go for it." Alma quipped.

"This coming from the girl who was more than happy to jump in the bed with a naked me, Kari and Cecilia."

Dawn blinked. "Wait she did what?"

Alma stuck out her tongue. "We've been sharing a bed since I hatched. I wasn't about to let some orgy stop that."

"_**WHAT?!"**_ Four voices yelled out.

"EARS WOMEN! They can only handle so much loud!"

"Master what's she talking about?!" Chihiro shouted, glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose.

"She sleeps in bed next to me at night. That's it. She was the only mental anchor I had when I woke up in that alternate universe. Her presence made it easier for me to fall asleep, and mine kept the nightmares of the day she died away."

The four girls calmed down. Dawn had no reaction, she already knew of their sleeping arrangements, however…

"Wait, nightmares?"

"**When Zefie…**"

"Actually no." Hisui blinked at that.

"Alma is the combination of Zefie's egg, and the soul of Miranda, a little girl who died just off of Sandgem Beach. From what I gathered from the mind-link we forged, Miranda's soul was there when Nyx dropped me on the beach. She reached out to the egg, and the remnants of Zefie's spirit called out to her. The two of them merged, and became Alma."

"What's the difference?" May asked.

"She has Zefie's memories, just above her base power level, and Miranda's personality. She's got a better manifestation skill than Zefie, but it's limited to only Alma herself."

"Eh?" Sabrina was confused.

"**Zefie had the ability to turn into a human form. A manifestation of her appearance when she died as a human."**

"While I was traveling through Sinnoh the first time, I met a girl named Lynn. She was a trainer too, but she was like Dawn, focusing on contests more. She designed her own outfits, and had the dream of going into fashion design. Zefie took a shine to her clothing ideas, and started manifesting them."

"I suck at making clothes." Alma admitted.

"yeah, but you can do something Zefie couldn't." Zero added.

"Eh? What's that?" Chihiro was interested. As far as ghosts went, Zefie was one of the most powerful ghost Pokémon she'd encountered. Even Giratina wasn't as crazy skilled as Zefie.

Zero just nodded at Alma, who stood up and closed her eyes. Her form seemed to blur slightly, as it stretched upward. When the blur faded, she was standing before everyone, naked…older. She smiled brightly at their stunned faces, as everyone took in every curve of her body.

"Daaaaamn…" Sabrina absently mused. For a dead girl, Alma looked _hot_.

"Boobs are bigger than mine…" May muttered morosely, which drew an even wider smile from the ghost girl. She blurred again and returned to her normal form, sundress included.

"I'm about Nineteen in that form. I don't know how, but whenever I thought of me, older, when I was Miranda, I could transform. Not when I was alive of course, but after I died. Can't go any farther than I actually would be if I was alive though."

Zero nodded. "Where Zefie could manifest clothing for herself, Alma can manifest _herself_. Both just visibly, and almost entirely physically."

"Holding my older forms takes a lot out of me though, so I just stick with this one."

Zero looked at his watch. "Damn…getting late. What say I whip us up some soup, we turn in for the night, and then hit the mountain tomorrow?"

Nods all around. He got up and headed to grab some wood for a fire from the nearby trees.

"Hey." Sabrina's voice called to him. He suddenly found himself unable to move. _Uhh…Movement…impared…_

"yeah. That's kinda the point." She slipped in front of him, grabbed his face, and brought her lips to his.

"Oh Goddammit!" May pouted.

Dawn smiled.

"Everyone gets a piece of him but me! I saw him first…"

The smile turned into a smirk. "Wanna practice?" May's head whirled around. "Huh?"

"Might as well. Give him something to think about. You wanna knock his socks off right?"

May just stared at the girl. "…you're enjoying this way too much."

Dawn just shrugged. "Probably. I figure when I was fixing my head and mentally claiming him, I might have accidentally grabbed part of his mentality and merged it with my own. Don't really care, life's more fun this way."

"…is it really?" May asked, uncertain.

Dawn put an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Look at it this way. And believe me, it took me almost getting raped to figure this out." May gasped at that. She didn't know much of the details behind Dawn's sudden interest in her old friend.

"We live in a world populated by creatures that can bend the very fundamentals of existence at will. They can breathe fire, spit water, throw lightning, eat light, invade dreams, and even move entire sections of the planet. We puny weak humans have sublimated and captured most of these creatures for our own pleasure, but we're dealing with somehow naturally born members of the planet. They horribly outnumber us, and some of the stronger ones can cause damage and devastation equal to any manner of explosive. They can be as precise as a surgeon, or as wide as a waterfall.

We don't know where they came from, who came first, or why the majority of them tolerate, even seem to love us after we stuff them into tiny little balls and have them fight each other for our entertainment. The way I see it, and I'm sure he sees it too, which is probably _why _I see it, is that at any time, any of these creatures can turn around and kill us in a moment's notice. We're playing with loaded guns, that happen to be capable of independent thought. That said, our lives are potentially shorter than they already are, so why not enjoy them while we can? Especially since in the pursuit of power, people are more than willing to piss off the _wrong _Pokémon. Just look at what Zero had to deal with when he was younger. Not only a deranged psychopath that ended up murdering his entire family, but idiots who kept doing foolish things for their own gain, and pissing off the very embodiments of nature in the process.

I can safely say I love him. The type of love where I just want him to be happy. And if that means sharing him with two other decent looking girls, becoming a bisexual and joining him in crazy adventures to save the world, I'm all for it. I talked to my mother about this, before the merge, and she told me this type of love is rare, even for adults. And that if it's really as true as I feel it is, I should cling to it, because it's the most amazing and painful feeling in the world."

"But…we're still-

"Something…Zero said…he said it kinda absently, before I gave myself to him. My mother said it too, she had the same faraway look in her eyes that he did…they said…Age…doesn't matter. Love…true love…nothing can stop it. Age, religion, sex, race, hell sometimes even species doesn't matter. If that level of love is there…it should be held, and cherished. I'm not saying you should rip your clothes off and jump him right here, not if you're not ready. He's…disturbingly honorable, even though the world…Fate…took so much from him. He won't force it on you. If you're not ready for him, then he can wait. That's the type of mentality…I'm aware that most people don't have."

"Yeah…but…I just…"

"You hurt him. You hurt him, but you did so because to you, he hurt you first. And he understands that. He does now, and he did then. If he didn't, you wouldn't be alive. Honestly May, you don't have as much to work through as you think. Understand and accept the past, and the shackles that weaken your will can be broken."

"…like you did?"

"He saved my life…he tore an entire building full of people to bloody shreds, just him, a small sword, and pure emotion driven speed. He didn't even _like _me like that when he did it. He did it out of care for a friend. The trauma of almost being raped…of seeing all those people just suddenly burst into bloody chunks…of being drenched in their blood and scraps of flesh…it broke me."

May was staring in horror at the girl next to her.

"But he…he did what nobody else would have even _thought _to do in that situation. He took charge, had Alma bind my memories of everything before me getting caught, kept me asleep for a couple days, dreamless, and then on the third night, told me the truth. I broke when I got my memories back, and while I was broken, I understood him. I'll admit, I had a crush on his image, who he was as the media saw him. And then I actually met him, and he was always straight and on the level with me. From day one, when I met him in Sandgem, Alma on his head like a goofy hat, he was almost entirely honest with me. He never really lied, just twisted the truth a bit, because he knew how I would react if he said everything straight.

He told me about Team Galactic, and then even offered to teach me a bit of his special brand of training, to even my chances. Whenever I was in a bind on my way, he'd pop up and help. And when I got myself captured, he saved me, and did more for me than anyone else would have, even if they could. That's when I knew, I loved him. Not for his image, but for who he really was. I mean, a guy who's willing to put his neck on the line for you, and wipe out a building full of people because they were going to rape you, is a guy you want having your back. And in my case, in your pants."

May snorted at that.

"You knew him when he was still confused, lonely and scared, May. Get to know him again now, and tell me it doesn't just make you want him more."

"I will…Dawn…thank you."

"Anytime. Believe me, when I saw that first distortion in the sky, when he was fighting Nyx, I could feel him. I could feel when he got pissed, and I could feel when the battle ended. And when the worlds were going to merge, I could feel his fear and uncertainty. And when I woke up, both memory sets were struggling for dominance, but then I thought about him, and everything slid into place. Just don't hurt him like that again."

"I know…you'll beat the crap out of me."

"Pfft, anything I did would be nothing compared to what _she _would do."

"Who…Sabrina?" "Nope." "Hisui?" "Uh-uh."

"…then who?"

"**Alma**."

"The little one?"

"That girl can be _**vicious **_Candace told me how Zero beat her. Alma one-shotted Candace's Frosslass, and did it _happily_. She loves him even more than _**I **_do. And you know how I feel. I'm willing to bet she loves him even more than **Hisui** does."

"Seriously?" May glanced at the little girl, who was cheerfully helping Zero stir the pot of soup.

"That girl exists solely for him. She said it herself. He's the reason why she continues to exist. He is her **life**. I'm pretty sure if Mewtwo showed up again, intending to start something, Alma would have him begging for mercy in no time flat."

"But…Giratina took her out easily."

"Giratina also didn't _actively _do anything to harm Zero. She forced him into another dimension, yes. She invaded his mind to paralyze him for said movement, yes. But she didn't directly _intentionally_ harm him, until _after _she'd blasted Alma away. And it was the act of defending against Alma's attack, that triggered it. Believe me when I say that especially now after seeing that little aging trick she pulled? I think Alma was destined to be a powerful psychic when she was Miranda, and merging souls with Zefie just made that power grow. Only now she has access to underworldly abilities too. She's quite possibly become one of the most powerful Pokémon on this planet, and it's all because of Zero. And her genome isn't even that strong. It's all because she can _think _like he does."

"I see…"

"Come on then. I guess practice will have to wait."

"I-what?" May was confused again.

"Food. Afterwards, I'll tell you some of his more sensitive spots. Where to strike if you wanna really make him yours. Believe me he's pretty good about covering his weaknesses, but he opens up around people he cares about. You'll wanna capitalize on that, if you're gonna make a move. Don't wanna be outdone by a girl who originally just wanted to pick his brain do you?"

May shook her head, and the two girls headed for dinner and more lessons.

Tomorrow, a new day would bring new revelations…

* * *

**A/N: **so, I wrote all this in the span of a few hours. It's shorter than what's become my new norm, and plenty wordy, but we get some more back-story as to why Zero is the way he is, and his past relationship with May. Plus, a slight look into Dawn's persona, now that not only has she fully integrated with the changes brought by her psyche shattering, but the merge of two lives as well.

For May and Sabrina, the merge wasn't much different, except that Sabrina in the alternate universe, was a lot colder, due to having to recover her mind on her own.

And as you can see, Zero's starting to get just a _tad _uncomfortable, with so many girls after him. As time passes, it'll be shown why. Dawn's loyalty to him is borderline fanatical, but as nuts as she can get…well…she said it herself, Alma is even worse.

Hunter1: yeah, world ended for a little bit. We get a look at how it affected others at the time in here. Ar Tonelico is god. The series is insane, and I love Hymmnos, both the songs, and the language itself.

As for your guess…well, you'll see.

D&SMaster: a little bit of perverse comedy for this one. Plenty of back-story and raging emotions too. This one was supposed to be the Team Galactic confrontation, but…I'll save that for next time.


	10. Volcannon Trap Part 1

The group stared at the path before them. A wide stone pathway, with bubbling lava next to it. It appeared safe enough, as they approached, but suddenly Zero stopped, holding out his hand.

…_I have a bad feeling…_

"Zero?" Dawn asked, feeling a slight tingle in the back of her head. She knew whenever that feeling appeared, he was calculating something important.

"Sabri, what's your 'port range?"

"Eh? Uhh…" She thought for a moment. "I can pop to any point in Kanto if I start from Saffron…so…"

"More than enough. Take Dawn, pop over to that ledge just before the stairway going towards that cave."

The two girls looked at him, confused.

"May, grab-

"Done." Before his command could be finalized, she grasped the Gardevoir's hand. Dawn blinked.

"Wait, how did you know what he was going to say?"

May gave a hollow laugh. "…because last time he said it, I didn't listen, and I almost got crushed under a falling slab of building. There was a sandstorm all around us, and I guess the winds unearthed part of a ruin. Next thing I know, he's telling me to grab Hisui's hand, but I'm too confused to act. After that, he slams into me and we both almost get killed." She spoke, still clutching Hisui's hand.

"Yeah…that wasn't fun. Anyway, you four pop over to the ledge."

"**What of you, master?"**

"I'm just gonna walk." _I need to make sure they're safe. I can take care of myself, but I don't know how May would react to an unknown problem, and Dawn's change in persona, though it mirrors mine…makes her an unknown too._

_I don't know what's ahead, I need to conserve as much of our power as possible._

Hisui and Sabrina nodded, though Hisui looked troubled. In seconds, the four vanished, easily appearing ahead of him. Zero nodded to himself, and began trotting along the pathway. There was a violent rumble. _Eruption?_ Two giant walls of lava rose from the sides of the pathway, as if bombs had been set off underneath them.

The girls cried out for him, as he dashed forward…but he wasn't fast enough.

…_hah…a trap…wow. This sucks._

He had a bemused smile on his face, as he slowed down, knowing he wouldn't make it to the other side. _Had I not froze for a second, or if I was moving faster initially, I'd have made it. But now…_

Hisui wrenched her hand out of May's, milliseconds away from teleporting, when suddenly she froze. She couldn't move her body, though her mind was screaming.

He looked up, wanting to see his end. He sighed, closing his eyes as the searing heat washed over him…before it suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes, seeing the red-orange of the blood of the earth reaching for him like a spurned lover…

But nothing was moving.

From his side, he noticed a soft blue glow. _The…Adamant Orb? So I guess Dialga doesn't want me dead…still…stopping time? best thing to do I guess. Oh good there's a little hole for me to crawl through…dunno how long this'll last._

Dropping to the ground and scuttling forward as fast as possible, he escaped the walls of lava crashing down upon him. It wasn't until he got a few feet away, and kept moving, did time's flow begin. They all stared at him, as he smiled sheepishly.

"That explains the bad feeling I got…but I didn't expect lava walls."

"How did you-

"I thought you said you couldn't teleport!" May and Sabrina both spoke.

"I can't. Dialga stopped time for me. Didn't…expect any of that really, so yeah…let's just…keep moving, alright? Obviously someone's in there, and that someone doesn't want us following."

* * *

Within, they found Team Galactic. Two nameless grunts, the admins Mars and Jupiter, and a third, older looking man.

"You! I recognize you!" Mars yelled out, pointing an accusing finger at Zero.

"Before the introductions go underway, quick question. Who's idea was it to torch the Ribbon Syndicate?"

The left grunt, a young man looking not much older than Zero himself blurted out.

"They had it coming! I went through all that time to win those contests and that damn bitch wouldn't let me in?"

Zero nodded.

And then…shit went down.

Immediately the world seemed to slow, but only to Sabrina, Hisui, and Zero. Dawn blinked, as her newly upgraded perceptions picked _something _up, but she wasn't strong enough to determine what.

Hisui and Sabrina almost _saw_ the strand of will launching from Zero, to the world. Contrary to what they thought would happen, being the fool getting crushed…something far worse occurred.

They watched the strand of desire reach from Zero's form, as his left arm dropped to the side. His fingers curled, as if cupping something. In slow motion they saw his arm rise, then lash to the right. The connection solidified, his mental command taking hold, a small glob of molten rock rising from its bubbling home, and soaring through the air, impacting the cyan haired teen from his right side, coating his face and torso in its searing hot form.

Eyes widened and gasps abound as the youth screamed at the top of his lungs, skin and cloth being seared and burnt, the chemicals in his hair used to falsely color it the blue it was, reacting to the heat and becoming aflame. The mental command completed by Zero clutching his hand into a fist, intoning for the molten mess to wrap itself around the boy's form, screams coming out in bubbling chokes of agony, before his body collapsed to the ground.

He was killed in moments…but those last moments were filled with unimaginable pain. Mars and Jupiter stepped back, numb with shock. The unknown old man, seen only once, before, swallowed heavily. He'd seen death, he'd seen torture, but never before had he seen someone die so _horribly_.

May wanted to vomit. As it was, she knew she'd be hearing the screams of that boy, and seeing his death for weeks to come, in her nightmares. The fear she felt long ago, the fear that she was staring at a person who could easily snap her in two, someone who would show no remorse for their actions, returned.

_This…this is Zero?_

She stared at the back of the white haired boy, his mental illusion dropped permanently, as he had embraced himself, and his past. She gulped, before forcefully pushing away her fear. He was powerful…but he did everything for a reason, a reason that could be deduced and easily understood.

_They're…like Team Aqua and Magma back home…these people almost destroyed the world because of their desires…because of their stupidity. And…that kid…of his own will, decided to set Cecelia's house aflame…even risking that the forest around it would catch fire. He didn't care. He was willing to kill hundreds…just because he got rejected._

_No wonder Zero doesn't like people…_

Sabrina blinked, part of her was revolted at Zero's actions…another part of her was amazed at his control, going past even hers. And another, darker, hidden part of her, the part that hated everything…was exited that he'd not only killed that stupid brat, but so painfully.

_He started with nothing…a normal kid…and being around Pokémon woke his psychic potential. To think…that a semi-artificial awakening like that…would lead to so much power…_

Dawn just took it all in stride. After seeing a group of people who'd captured and were preparing to rape you, suddenly burst into bloody fragments…after being covered in scraps of flesh and blood and bone…

Either you snap, or you stop reacting to death and torture.

She'd done both.

_Hmph…serves him right for torching Cece's place. I wonder if I'll ever be able to do anything that big…I doubt it…_

* * *

_He…he killed Jacob…he killed him…so suddenly!_

_Oh god…the screams…the stench…it's horrible!_

_Wait…the others…mentioned something about a "Zero". A person…who was a major threat to any group with the name "Team". A guy who saved the world…conquered three region's championships…a guy who didn't hesitate to kill, people or Pokémon…_

_I don't wanna die! I never wanted this in the first place! I thought the outfits were cool and all…I mean, hell, "cosmic energy?" I thought it was some sort of environmental thing!_

_I don't wanna die!_

The girl next to the older man dropped to her knees, shaking and holding her head.

"**She's clean, Master. **_**She didn't know what Team Galactic truly was, and never too part of anything damaging. She's only been involved for two weeks, and was under the impression that 'cosmic energy for the win' was some sort of environmental protection slogan. It appears she knows who and what you are.**_**"**

"_Grab her and levitate her behind us. We'll let her go."_

"_**Understood, Master."**_

Hisui reached out an arm, the girl shrieking as she was suddenly lifted off the ground. She shuddered violently, before passing out, believing she was to be killed.

"_On second thought, give her here."_

The girl's form zoomed over, into Zero's waiting arms, where he held her, bridal style. He looked down, bouncing off of Hisui's remnant connection to the girl slightly, to peer into her surface thoughts. To his eyes, her true form was revealed.

Short red hair, but longer than the bowl cut that she was sporting at the moment. Standard style of dress for a local trainer, red bicycle shorts, white tank-top, black sandals.

_Cute._

He noted seeing a few familiar shapes flicker through her mind. Badges, the ones from Kanto, to be exact. An image of her trainer card, showing her birth date, name, and country of origin.

_Handwriting is as shitty as mine apparently…Hoenn? Wait…oh I get it. Born Hoenn, raised Kanto, traveling Sinnoh. Interesting. She's older than us. Younger than Sabrina, but older than me. Huh. Only by a few years though._

Sensing only fear, and confusion in her mind, he gently set her down next to the cave entrance, for the moment. Dawn and May shot him questioning looks, but he waved them off, giving Dawn a feeling of "later" while straight up pushing that thought into May's head.

"Wh-what the fuck man?" Mars blurted out, angered and frightened.

"He almost wiped out an entire forest, along with the home of a friend of mine. I have no need for there to be fools before me who do not monitor the scope of their actions."

"S-still! You didn't have to kill him!"

"Didn't I?" He tilted his head. It was at this moment that his companions saw the depths of his madness, the insanity that he fought tooth and nail to restrain. He knew he was insane, he knew his mind and methods were improper, broken. And he accepted it. But he didn't let it control him.

If he had…he would have simply let Dialga and Palkia destroy the world…or rather, he would have commanded them to do it in his stead.

Memories of his past flashed through his mind again, only this time, not just of his step-father murdering both mother and sister, but of Team Aqua and Magma, of Team Rocket, of their acts against the world.

"People like him, who simply react without fathoming or preparing for their movements to go beyond the scope of their initial intentions…if left unchecked, unpunished, they fester and infect the world. Slowly, people who have nothing to do with their hatred, their stupidity, become involved. It's fine if he torched just the bitch who rejected him, hell, I'd probably give him a medal for that one, she's been ruining dear Cece's club for a while now. But he posted blame to the whole estate.

Rather than looking past his emotions and causing a big enough ruckus to attract Cece's attention, to where she would have handled the matter, he decided to unjustly punish others for impeding his desires, wheras they had nothing to do with them. I can't say I blamed him for his feelings, no, to do so would be a lie. I concur with what he felt, however, his actions put in danger not only someone dear to me, but the surrounding area as well. On top of which, my recently purchased home."

He sighed, a long, tired, weary sigh. Even Mars and Jupiter had to pause at the sound. It wasn't something they ever expected a _kid _to give off. It was as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I lost everything…to madness…to foolishness. My Mother, my Sister…my home…anyone who bothers to look into my history knows how bloody and unusual it is. I can't stand people, and I definitely don't like you 'Teams'. All of you gathering together…while I'd like to think it admirable that you can summon so many from different walks of life, your groups' actions always put the world in turmoil, put _me _in danger.

I've had enough of that. For quite a few lifetimes."

Sabrina could feel his mind growing more and more chaotic. Dawn sensed an uncomfortable amount of random emitting from him. May just listened to his words.

But all three knew he was _still_ in pain, and likely would forever be.

Sabrina put her hands on his shoulders as May and Dawn gently grasped his hands in theirs. The others didn't fail to notice this action.

"And while it would be so _easy _just to kill you…"

Which put them back on edge, tense. They wouldn't even be able to sense an attack, they had no idea which direction it would come from.

"…I don't want to be like you…or _him_. For all I know you all happen to just want to scout the area for a new business that has nothing to do with your old actions. You could just be hunting rare Pokémon for your own personal collections, or maybe you've been tasked to check something for someone. I don't know. And I would…be like them…like you…if I just acted, without proper information."

With that, he silently reached out, brushing the forefronts of their minds. Both Mars and Jupiter were dissatisfied with how the man behind them, Charon, was running things after Cyrus' disappearance. According to their surface thoughts, both wanted to find their original leader…if only to determine where they were going next. They were lost, confused, and uncertain. But they held it behind a tough façade.

Charon opened his mouth to speak, when he found he could not use his voice.

"Your time will come later, old man." Zero stated.

"You two. You're looking for Cyrus, correct?"

They stared at him in shock for a moment, before realizing he read their minds.

"You-

"Yes, we are." Jupiter cut Mars off.

"It seems you share a mutual dislike of one another, yet have the same goal. Very well."

He gently detached from his companions.

"I know where he is."

"No shit! Tell us!"

"Not yet. While reading your mind is simple enough to see that you _wish _to find him, you're still guilty of many crimes. So, I will torture you for a while."

The two women paled. Zero smirked.

"I will not tell you…unless you can win a Pokémon battle."

Everyone blinked. That was it?

"Surprised? Would you rather I slowly removed every hair from your body? Or perhaps I should rip the flesh from your bones, inch by inch? Or maybe even strip you down and bind you in front of a room filled with some of your victims? Your bodies look in shape enough to provide some entertainment. And then maybe I'll trap you in your own minds for a few months, all while you re-live those horrifying moments over and over. Or should I-

"WE'LL BATTLE!" Both yelled in shaky voices. Zero's smirk grew.

_This is the one good thing about having a shitty fucked up past like mine. I'm already known to be a special kind of crazy. So anything I spew to people who don't understand me will ring in their minds as total possibility. And since I'm psychic, I can just throw up an illusion like I'm staring them down, when really I'm laughing my ass off that they'd believe I'd do something like-…ok well I wouldn't do the last one, but the other two…_

"You won't be battling me, however. That would…not be fair."

They stared in disbelief. First he mentions torturing them, then he claims the torture is a simple Pokémon battle. Then he starts suggesting other methods…and now he won't even fight them on his own, citing it wouldn't be even?

"Th-that-

"Makes no sense? Really, does it _have _to? I **am **crazy after all."

_He has a point._ The two thought in unison.

"May. Dawn."

"Eh?" The two responded. He wasn't sending Sabrina in?

"I've been doing all the work lately, ne? You two take this one."

* * *

_That cat is surprisingly quick for a fatass._

The battle was…even. Despite having reasonably powerful breeds of Pokémon, Dawn and May were unused to fighting alongside one another, on top of which, their Pokémon were exact opposites. May's Blaziken wasn't as fast as Akiha, and Dawn's Empoleon was even slower. However Penelope was able to tank quite a few hits, knocking Mars' Purugly away whenever it charged, while Bella was able to leap over whatever poison streams Skuntank would piss out.

_That is the most offensive Pokémon ever. Seriously. Who the hell thought this thing up?_

Unfortunately, due to the dual Water/Steel typing, the heat of the area was getting to Penelope, causing her reactions to be slower than usual. Too many strikes would get through, because her fatigue was growing far faster than normal. Bella, on the otherhand, was perfectly fine. The problem being that she had to evade out of the way of Penelope's attacks as well, lest she be weakened. This distraction was what allowed a fair few of Skuntank's attacks to hit home. Poison had set in, and Bella was beginning to slow.

"Skuntank! Fire Blast on the Empoleon!" Jupiter called out.

Surprising Zero, rather than peeing the attack out like the rest of its ranged moves, it spat out a small burst of flame that quickly grew in size, resembling an asterisk…or in Zero's mind…

_A witch being burnt at the stake…_

Dawn commanded Penelope to evade, but the Pokémon was so tired she simply stumbled to the side, taking the attack on her right flank.

"Now! Finish it off with Body Slam!" Mars commanded.

Penelope couldn't handle the strike. She fell back, unconscious.

"Penelope!"

"Crap…" May muttered. "Hang in there Bella!"

With one of their targets down, now both of Galactic's Pokémon could focus on the Blaziken. The poison was beginning to take its toll. Mars and Jupiter shared a look, nodding at each other.

"Purugly! Water Pulse!"

Zero's eyebrow rose. _Why didn't you do that befo-…oh you smooth bitches._

He'd realized what their plan was. They'd feared he'd trained them himself, so they used diversionary tactics to slow them down. The area had weakened Penelope enough to be taken down easy. From there it's two on one…

Bella rolled to the side as the sudden blast of Water ripped through the air. The heat of the area weakened the attack, but it still would have been dangerous to get hit by. Unfortunately, her roll put her right in the way of an oncoming Fire Blast. Being the same type didn't help, for the area's natural 'elemental' alignment boosted the attack enough to cancel out her innate defenses, dealing straight damage.

From there, Purugly was commanded to strike. The fat cat creature dashed as quickly as it could, before pushing off the ground for a heavy Body Slam.

"SKY UPPERCUT NOW!"

Flames still in her eyes and singing her fur, Bella ducked low, the cat just sailing over it, before she lashed out with her fist, rising upward, punching the feline into the air, slamming into the cave ceiling.

A fighting attack against a normal type, the damage was staggering. But both May and Bella could feel that it was still kicking.

"**BLAST BURN!"**

The enraged scream ripped from her throat. May just found Zero again. She didn't want to be weak in front of him. She didn't want to lose, she _couldn't _lose!

Blast Burn was the _Ultimate _in Fire Attacks. So powerful that almost no Pokémon could handle it. Only specific powerful breeds could endure the strain of using that maneuver, and even then it took a lot out of them. The Charmander line, the Cyndaquil line, the Torchick line, and the Chimchar line were the only Pokémon breeds capable of handling the attack.

Even the 'legendary' Pokémon didn't have 'access' to it, for some reason. Perhaps as some sort of balancing method? Zero didn't know. However, it being the ultimate in fire maneuvers, and considering it came from multiple lines, its representation was different, depending on the Pokémon, and its abilities.

This would be the second time he's seen the attack, for he cherished Akiha's existence far too much to have her bring forth such archaic power, the last time, against Cynthia, being more than enough proof of its drain.

Fighting against the poison within her, Bella took to the air, leaping up and catching the Purugly's body in her talons. She threw the fat cat at the ground, the Pokémon's body slamming into it harshly, literally making a dent in the stone. From there, Bella leaned forward, pulling her fist back. Her fur seemed to light up as a spiral of fire erupted from her shoulder and wound its way to her fist as she dropped downward.

Immediately Zero threw up a psychic field, echoed by Sabrina.

Bella's fist slammed into the Purugly's stomach, a massive orange flare of light ripping from the point of contact before an _impressive _pillar of fire ripped into the air. The heat nearly melted the rocks around her, wisps of steam and black smoke appearing as the pillar receded.

Purugly was only alive, due to Bella being weaker than normal.

The Blaziken stumbled backward. Poison and exhaustion taking its toll. A crack was heard.

"NOW!"

From below the earth, came Skuntank. Surrounded by dirt and stone, it slammed its form into Bella's back. The Dig attack struck home, and took with it Bella's remaining strength.

"Bella!"

Skuntank was the only one standing.

"Well…" Zero started.

Everyone looked to him.

"looks like Mars and Jupiter are the winners."

The two women breathed a small sigh of relief, though Mars was _very _worried about her cat.

Dawn and May ran to their partner's unconscious forms. The girls were startled when Zero appeared next to them, slipping two small spiked golden crystals into their hands. He promptly turned and faced the two older women.

"I last saw Cyrus in the Torn World."

"Wh-what? You expect us to-

"Thank you." Mars cut in on Jupiter.

"I gave my word." Zero clarified. "I can't say if he's still alive or not. He made the mistake of taking Giratina on, but she didn't kill him. I don't know if he's even still there, but that's where he was last."

Mars nodded sharply, while Jupiter was still pissed.

"Even if I were to believe you, how the _hell _would we get there?"

"Sendoff Spring. There's a small pool of water within the ridge. Inside the cave there, is a gateway to the Torn World. How long it will remain open I cannot say."

"What…are we going to do about Giratina? It probably won't like us just traipsing around in its home."

Zero blinked. "Nyx is with me. She won't care, that place can rebuild itself in whatever way she wants. It's very confusing in there though, so keep in mind that 'reality' is only what you make of it. Whatever _you _want down to be, will be down, even if down would be 'right' here."

That statement confused them, but both of them embedded his instructions in mind.

"Wait, Nyx?"

"Yes. I named her that."

"Giratina's a her?" Mars yelled.

"Well, that's the form she chose to represent herself in so, for the moment, yes."

"And you…_have _her?" Jupiter breathed incredulously.

"I pummeled her to near death and then captured her, yes."

"You…_pummeled_…WHAT?" Mars screeched.

"She pissed me off. Don't you two have something more important to do?"

They just stared. Here, before them wasn't just a three-times savior of the world. He wasn't just four times champion. He fought, and _almost killed_ one of the most powerful Pokémon in the world. They heard how one of their bases was completely ripped to shreds, they heard about the total annihilation of their warehouse, they _watched _him kill that boy…

He was a monster. A demon in human flesh.

And they'd almost faced his wrath themselves.

Stunned by the revelation, they simply nodded at the same time. Zero, who was following their thoughts, didn't show his amusement, but he nodded back as they left.

He turned back, but saw only empty space. The old man with Mars and Jupiter had fled deeper into the caverns. For what reason, Zero didn't know, but he was resolved to find answers.

"If you guys wanna turn back now, you can. I'm going."

Dawn and May stared at Zero. Neither of them wanted to leave him…but…even with the Full Revives he slipped them, the volcano was weakening their Pokémon.

"It's alright. You two fought pretty well. Not up to _my _standards but…well…I'm crazy and you two-…ok _May _isn't." Zero stated.

Dawn simply gave a soft chuckle. She didn't deny her insanity. But she was quite unhappy with the turn of events. She opened her mouth to speak, but Zero cut her off.

"Kari…don't worry about it. Focus on Penny, alright? We'll have _plenty _of time to teach you _both _my tricks."

Dawn sighed, knowing he'd slipped into the weak connection the two held and sensed what she was going to say before she spoke it.

"Alright…"

Zero nodded, flicking out a Pokéball. In a flash of light, Hisui was revealed.

"Hisui, I need you to teleport those two back to the manor. Stay with them, in case something goes wrong and I need to send a message."

"**What of you? If **_**something **_**does indeed happen, how will you get out of it?"**

"Don't forget, Sabri's a porter too. And even if somehow she's knocked out, I still have Chihiro on me. Her ports aren't as good as yours but she can _fly _and **fast**."

"**Very well. Stay safe Master."**

With that, the two girls recalled their lead Pokémon, and walked out of the cave with Hisui, after May gave him a hug and peck on the cheek wishing him good luck, while Dawn simply kissed him outright.

"You'd better come back to me."

"Don't I always?"

She gave his hand one last squeeze and the girls left. Zero turned to Sabrina.

"Reminds you of our match dunnit?" He smirked. The raven haired woman narrowed her eyes at him, before matching his smirk.

"Maybe you'll get another show then."

He blinked at her, not expecting that retort, as she walked off coyly.

"Oi! Don't just step off like that dammit! Wait up!"

And he trotted after her.

* * *

**A/N: **Good Goddess it's been **FOREVER**. With Life, Gaming, Exhaustion from Life, and my brain being **A FUCKING TWAT**, this is a lot later and shorter than I wanted it.

Oh well, I figured I'd spit something out and then deal with making another chapter later. Ugh. Honestly there's not much plot left but getting there…sorry everyone but I'm gonna probably not have much inspiration for this story for a while. But I DO have the final event written. And I keep looking at it every now and then so sometimes I get jolted.

Also, allow me to sum up my experiences up to the first five badges of Pokémon Black:

"Huh…female friend has boobs."

"Wait…my Snivvy's a girl. Well aint that some shit."

"Oh god not a Sasuke-type."

"Unova must be land of hot women. Even the professor lady isn't ugly."

"what the hell is that?"

"Wait that's NOT a grass type?"

"What the **FUCK **is that?"

"HA! These guys are saying the shit I've been saying all these damn years! Why **DO **Pokémon just sit and take it when we shove them in little balls?"

"Oh wait no, it was just the one dude. The rest of them are just like the other Teams. Dammit."

"**WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT AND HOW DO I KLL IT?"**

"…I miss my old team."

Also, Victini is easy-mode.

**Hunter 1:** late in saying this but: Damn right you don't.

**D&S Master:** Pokémon battle not fought by Zero GOOOOO! Not my best, but again, inspiration for this story's been up and down. I was hoping playing Black would bring it back but…ehh. I've got an EPIC ending to this story already written though, and I vaguely know how to get there. And yes, more awesome fights.

I should really start training myself to friggin just write out whatever pops into my head and then tie it together later…hmm…


	11. Volcannon Trap Part 2

While hot and rough to travel, the pair navigated the caverns within Stark Mountain at a modest clip. Idle chatter was nonexistent, both of their senses stretched to full to catch any wind of their target.

Finally they found a small cave, with a familiar sounding human voice coming from it. An irritated roar followed the voice, and the two jumped down and ran into the cave, just in time to catch a heavy blast of heat to their faces.

"Ok…" Zero said, backing up slowly. The flames died down, Charon's body reduced to ashes, screams still in their ears. "What the hell is that, and do we kill it, or catch it?"

Sabrina swallowed heavily. Heart pounding, body coated in a soft sheen of sweat from both the flames of the unknown Pokémon's attack, as well as the trek through the volcano, she shook her head.

"Don't look at me, this is usually just a vacation spot when I feel like getting away from the Gym…"

Zero slowly pulled out his Pokédex, not wanting to startle the powerful creature.

**Scanning…**

**Match found.**

**Subject Name: Heatran**

**Type: Fire, Steel**

**Classification: Lava Dome Pokémon**

**Description: This extremely rare Pokémon dwells in volcanic caves, unseen normally by human eyes.**

**Using its cross shaped feet, it can partially burrow into rock to maintain footing even on walls and ceilings.**

**While made of extremely durable steel, parts of its body are melted due to its own internal heat levels.**

**Caution is recommended when battling it, for if its flesh is somehow severed, boiling hot blood will sear any who come in contact with it.**

"Why me? Why the bloody _fucking _hell do I **always **get stuck with the pissed off Legendaries?" Zero cursed. It was then that Heatran realized it was still not alone. It gave a gravelly roar of irritation, shimmer like a haze erupting around its body.

"Shit, move!"

Zero and Sabrina dived out of the way just as a pillar of flame erupted from its mouth. A hissing noise was heard, followed by a defined rumble, part of the cave opening the two came through collapsing to the ground. The flames melted the rock just above the exit, causing instability within the structure.

"Oh come the _FUCK _on!" Their exit was blocked. Zero and Sabrina turned back to the lumbering four-legged Pokémon. It roared again _**A pillar of fire erupted into place beneath Zero's feet incinerating him in seconds. **_rearing back for a moment.

"NO!"

As the flame user slammed its two forelegs into the ground, Sabrina vanished in a flicker of movement, appearing next to Zero and throwing both of them out of the way just as a blaze of fire ripped into the air right where he was once standing. An irritated growl displayed Heatran's feelings on missing.

"Damn girl…you saw that coming?" Zero groaned out, not ready for either impact.

"I'm not losing you. Not now…not like this." Sabrina spoke heavily, eyes narrowed at the fire Pokémon. The two slowly stood.

"Damn…and I don't have Isis on me…she'd end this in one shot." Zero muttered.

"And probably us as well." Sabrina retorted.

"…point."

She fingered a Pokéball. "Zero…I'll distract it, you seal it with a Master Ball."

"uhh…problem." She looked back.

"I don't have any more. I used my last one to shut Darkrai up."

"You…you're _out?_ That's…surprising." She was a bit annoyed, but given the capsule's rarity, she couldn't hold it against him.

He shrugged. "I used one on Chihiro, one on Mewtwo, one to keep Rayquaza from being caught by anyone else, two on Kyogre and Groudon for the same purpose, and the last one was on Darkrai. I tried to keep them for World Endingly Strong Pokémon but…"

"So catching it is out then…" She said, eyeing the rock monster.

"Not…really? But it'll be tough. And do we _really _wanna bother?"

"We gotta take it down…or rather keep it busy long enough to find a way out of here."

"I'll toss a ball if I see an opening, but other than that, we'll just focus on keeping it distracted." Sabrina nodded, before reaching up and unzipping her bodysuit. Zero's eyebrows rose as the older woman slipped her arms out of their sleeves, before tying them at her waist. Underneath the top part of her outfit was a damp looking black tank-top.

"Err?"

"Gonna be running around. Don't want an early repeat of our match." She flung out her arm, sending a Pokéball flying. "Gallade!" His second eyebrow rose.

In a flash of light a bi-pedal Pokémon, green top with white legs, arms like solid mass of green and a red fin sticking out of its chest appeared.

"Nice find." Zero was impressed. Gallade was the rarer and male evolutionary variant to Hisui's line, Gardevoir.

Zero stepped next to Sabrina. _Don't have any water types, not that it would help cause he's got a terrain advantage of insane heat. I'd send in Akiha but I don't fancy her arm getting seared off. Wait…that's it!_

"Alma!" A flash of light and the Mismagius appeared in her normal form.

"Master?"

"Stick to Gallade. Sabri and I will help take him on, but whatever you do, if it looks like he's going to smack you or bleed on you planeshift alright? Gallade's a physical fighter, using his psychic powers to boost his strikes rather than blast away from afar, so he'll be fine on the blood-factor, but anything else I want you to cover him for."

"On it!"

Gallade nodded as well, the two Pokémon taking off, Alma shifting to a more transparent state, swooping straight through Heatran, confusing it, while Gallade swung its arm across, launching a Psycho Cut attack. Sensing something approaching her, Sabrina whirled around, flicking out a hand and catching a surprisingly cold bottle of water. She looked at it, and then back at Zero who was taking a swig from his own bottle, before capping it and having it vanish in a ripple of air.

"How…?"

"Side effect from being too close to Palkia's Spacial Rend. I call it a Vector Trap. Basically a small 'subspace' pocket where I can keep non-living things. It's localized around my body though, so I can't like, jump into it and be safe, it doesn't support life. Time doesn't flow there though, so objects come out the same state they go in." While he was explaining, Sabrina took a drink from her own bottle before tossing it back to him.

"Is that how you're able to travel so light?" She rotated her shoulders, bouncing on the balls of her feet for a moment, getting ready for the battle. Zero's eyes were following her every move.

"Uh…yeah…"

"Hey. Eyes up here." Zero blinked. "First, we make it out of here. After that you can stare at my chest all you want. Possibly without a shirt."

He blinked at her. "I'm not _that _easy."

She gave a smirk. "No, but I'm sure you'd like to be able to brag that you got to see the Legendary Psychic's bare tits." Her hands became coated in a soft haze.

Zero's body shimmered the same. "If that's what you want."

The smirk widened. "You might be able to think outside the box, but now, we're on _my _turf. Try to keep up."

He smirked back. "Oh don't worry, if I slow down, its because I want to savor. Every. **Moment.**" He said, stomping the ground.

Alma phased back into reality both understanding the motion as well as the impulse of emotions sent in her direction. With a soft grunt of exertion, a wave of pressure slammed into the walls of the cave, crumbling the stone and rocks together before they formed into shimmering crystals that all rocketed into the rocky flesh of Heatran. It roared in irritation, retaliating by stomping the ground itself.

"Jump!"

Zero and Sabrina both took to the air, bounding onto the walls, before bouncing off, evading the shockwave created in the ground from Heatran's Earthquake attack. Zero landed, and stumbled slightly. _That messed with the ground beneath us. This might become a problem_.

"Above!" Sabrina yelled. Zero looked up in time to see a series of boulders dropping from over their heads. _And the ceiling as well!_ He threw up his hands, fanning out his psychic field, catching the most immediately dangerous ones, before pulling back and lashing forward. Gallade jumped on one of the boulders being hurled by Sabrina, the elder psychic launching them one after another instead of all at once, displaying her true skill. The green and white Pokémon slashed out three Psycho Cuts before jumping off his boulder, which was given a bit of an extra kick by Sabrina punching forward.

Heatran growled, spitting a torrent of flame at Sabrina. Her hair began to float under the curtails of her power. She flung out a single hand and the flames all halted against a powerful psychic barrier. _I'll have to thank Zero for teaching me this one._

Remembering her battle against her current partner, she waved around her other hand, effortlessly splitting her attention between two different commands. A soft violet glow surrounded the flames, compressing them into a ball which she launched right back at Heatran. As the burning orb slammed into its rocky flesh, she pulled back and punched out with her fist, launching a blast of condensed psychic will, at the same time Gallade fired off another Psycho Cut.

Heatran was pushed back, but didn't look anything more than greatly pissed.

_Damn I put a lot into that! How the hell…?_

"Sabri! He's half steel! Psychic manifestations won't work as well on him!" Sabrina nodded before mentally commanding Gallade to change tactics.

_All of our tricks are just irritating him. Steel types are already a bitch to take down without burning, and with his fire half even that's out. Akiha knows a few Ground moves, but those would just make our little arena even more unstable…_

Alma shimmered back into view just in front of Heatran. It blinked, not expecting her to suddenly be in its face, before she assaulted its ears with a heavy air distorting Screech. It roared in agony at the shrill noise, bowing its head not seeing Gallade pull an arm back.

**WHOMP**

With a heavy swing, Gallade slammed its arm right in Heatran's chin, knocking the rocky Pokémon into the air where it crashed onto the ground heavily. A loud rumbling filled the cave a few moments after its landing, a sharp snapping noise coming from beneath their feet. Before anyone could react, "Oh _SHI-" _ the ground beneath them cracked and gave way. Heatran was the first to fall, with Zero, Gallade and Sabrina dropping after it, Alma furiously flying to catch them.

Darkness covered their view for a few moments, before a soft orange glow came from below them.

"SABRINA!" Zero called over the raging winds of their descent. "CALL GALLADE BACK AND GRAB A FLOAT!"

Using her psychic field to dampen the effects of the winds, Sabrina held out Gallade's Pokéball and returned him to safety. She turned herself around, seeing a large stalactite falling towards her. She reached out _pulling _it closer before she _pushed _it downward, landing on the top, flat-ish end of it. Zero himself just grabbed a random boulder in range, Alma diving into his body to hitch a ride with him.

After a few minutes of falling, the trio found themselves crashing into rocky ground. Cracks appeared in it from where the fragments of ceiling slammed into it, small fissures of orange appearing, but it held for the time being. They rose from the ground, hearing a guttural roar from further ahead.

Heatran was ready for them.

Sabrina relaxed herself, letting her psychic field fan out, ready for action. Alma tensed, preparing to race for it. Zero pulled out a ball, flicked it to the side and summoned Akiha, his Blaziken. A soft haze began surrounding all three of them, surprising Sabrina with its density.

"Activate Termination Protocol."

The three tensed, and vanished. Sabrina blinked, shocked. It was time to get serious.

Heatran's mouth opened, a piercing stream of flame ripping forth. Alma flickered in place, a semi-transparent dome slamming into existence, the flames parting around it. Her Protect stalled the incoming attack, letting Zero and Akiha flicker into view. Flickers of embers surrounded their forms, as the two shimmered again, before appearing in front of Heatran.

"**Kuuha Bakuendan!"**

The two of them kicked off the ground, Zero's psychic field ripping into place, while Akiha simply took control of the flames around her. The two twisted, turning into twin spirals of fire both of them slamming heavily into Heatran. Alma's eyes snapped open, and with a mighty yell a massive wall of near-physical psychic force ripped through the air, Heatran's body buckling as it slammed into the rocky Pokémon. It growled and roared back, Zero and Akiha back-stepping repeatedly, avoiding constant pillars of magma erupting from the unstable ground beneath them.

As small globs of it fell through the air, Zero grabbed them with his psychic field, before tossing the collective back into Heatran's face. It stung it slightly, but blinded the Pokémon to Akiha's approach.

"**SHINRYUKEN!"**

A fiery Sky Uppercut into Heatran's chin, boosted by Alma launching a psychic concussive force at Akiha's feet to propel her forward even faster. Heatran was knocked into the air.

"Sabrina! Pudding! It's like really _really _hot pudding!"

Catching on to what Zero meant, Sabrina grasped hold of some of the magma leaking out of the fissures in the ground. Now understanding that it had the consistency of something she had experience with, she was able to grasp hold and form it into the loose shape of a double ended spear. Zero flicked out another ball as Sabrina pulled back.

"Bufudyne!"

In a flash of violet light and a wave of popping hearts, Zero's Latias, Chihiro emerged, immediately surrounding herself with frigid air. She swept past the magma spear, before the lance of red pulled her back into the Master Ball she called home.

"Pike Kick!"

Akiha flipped forward before twisting herself around and lashing out her right leg. The winds created by her spin added a seemingly jagged point to the air beneath her foot as she slammed it into the still airborne Heatran's unprotected underbelly. With a yell of focus, Sabrina lashed out a fist towards the now solidified earthen spear, smacking it with a psychic blast sending it screaming forward like a bolt of light. It pierced straight through its rocky hide, right into one of the weaker melted areas at its rear.

Landing heavily, causing even more cracks in the rocky ground, Heatran screeched angrily. The ground rumbled and broke near it, the magma bubbling and frothing before flaring upward in a torrent. Flicking out a ball, Gallade returned to battle just next to Sabrina, who centered herself, closing her eyes for a brief moment before snapping them open, ready. Zero and Sabrina stood side by side, the Magma Storm heading right for them, and the two leaned forward, pushing off the ground at the same time, Akiha and Gallade right behind them.

Alma flickered back into normal space right in front of Heatran, screaming in its face again, causing it to flail around angrily.

Sabrina and Zero flared their psychic fields, leaping at the lava wall before violently fanning them out, the combined forces causing the near solid blanket to spread around them. Akiha and Gallade leapt over their trainers as Alma flickered backward and away, the two rushing in, fists and feet lashing out wildly.

"**Satsugeki Bukouken!"**

Four violent haymakers launched from both Pokémon slamming into Heatran's face. Akiha leapt up slamming a flaming heel into its left cheek, Gallade slamming his left elbow blade into Heatran's forehead, followed by Akiha turning back around and delivering a wide swing with her right fist, echoed by Gallade and his left, before the two spun on their heels and slammed their feet into its chin, grabbing its forelegs and slamming heavy fists into its underbelly to knock it into the air.

Alma re-appeared only this time in human form. She rose her arms above her head, spheres of magma ripping from the fissures in the ground, forming into the same shape Sabrina used. A pulse of will later, surrounding them with otherworldly energy, the very essence of the afterlife, and the magma spears hardened into solid rock. As this happened, Alma lowered her arms to her sides, holding them outward as if open for a hug.

"**Dople." **(_Rejection)_

With one word spoken, she crossed her arms, the spears all converging and impaling Heatran at once, the Pokémon screeching in agony, searing red rivers of magma-like blood coming from its wounds. From above, Zero and Sabrina descended, right and left fists pulled back respectively. Both of them were shimmering with the exact same haze, both giving off the exact same pulses, like two hearts beating at the same time.

"_**Yehar endia hymmne!"**__ (I sing the melody of the end)_

The two slammed their psychically charged fists into Heatran's face, the large Pokémon being sent rocketing into the cooled magma surface below, pillars of the corrosive searing substance rising into the air before falling like dying fragments of a molten hot geyser. Only thicker.

The two landed softly on the ground, all five of them staring at Heatran's still form.

"Is…is it dead?" Sabrina asked, too tired to stretch her senses out to try to detect its life.

"…dunno."

Suddenly the air grew heavy. The small pit of magma that Heatran was slowly sinking into began bubbling violently. Zero's eyes widened. Immediately he called back Akiha and Alma. Seeing him do so, Sabrina did the same with Gallade. Once she did, Zero grabbed her arm and started running.

"Zero what-

"It's gonna blow!"

Sabrina's eyes widened and the woman began pumping her legs harder than before. The small cooled bridge they were on began to crumble as energy began gathering inside Heatran's core. If it was going to die, it was going to die taking its enemies with it.

"Shit shit shit shit shit! Sabrina can you get us out of here?"

"I'm barely managing to _run _right now! I've never been here before and I don't know how far we fell, I can't teleport unless I either see the area or know where it is in relation to myself!" The woman yelled back.

"FuuuUUUUCK!" Zero swore as the two pushed on. They were running out of both time and space however. The two skidded to a stop just before a drop into the now frothing pool of magma. A loud noise behind them caused them to whirl around. A wave of force washed over them, as a growing sphere of white and orange tore their way.

"Even if we pulled up a combined field…we wouldn't survive the heat." Zero said softly. "Sabrina…I'm-

"Don't you dare apologize. I'm a grown woman dammit, _and _a Gym Leader. I can make my own choices, and I _chose _to come with you." She cut him off.

He sighed. "Yeah."

She looked at the coming wall of Death, then back to Zero.

"That said…" She spoke, before grabbing his wrists and placing both hands on her breasts. Zero blinked in surprise, before the older psychic grabbed his head and slammed her lips onto his.

_If I'm going to die, I'm going to die happy dammit._

Zero's eyes were wide, but as her tongue practically pried his lips apart, he closed them, accepting her terms.

_Better to die…with someone you love…than to die alone…_

_Everyone…I'm sorry._

As tears began running down his cheeks, the rushing sound of the fused magma and energy wave grew louder and louder, the two feeling the heat and pressure overcome them. Zero gripped her tighter, tensing, ready for the pain, when an impossible **thud **echoed through his head.

The wave washed over them, slamming into the walls of the volcano.

* * *

Dawn was fiddling with one of her dresses. May was pacing back and forth. Penelope and Bella were out of their balls, sitting patiently. Hisui was fidgeting, unhappy. Her connection to her master had become muddled not long after she teleported the girls back. Nyx herself said she could barely feel him, which was unusual to her. Cynthia was there as well, wanting to hang around the legendary trainer a bit longer, to learn from him, with Cecilia sitting next to dawn, watching her work.

A loud explosion from afar jarred them all.

"What was that?" May cried out. Nobody could give an answer. For a few minutes nobody said anything, feeling soft rumbles getting louder and stronger. An exclamation of shock from outside drew their attention, the group of girls rushing out of the Villa to find out what was going on.

"Stark Mountain is erupting!" Someone yelled out.

And indeed it was. From the Villa, the group could see small flickers of orange-red, ash raining from the sky and covering the surrounding forest. Small streams of orange could be seen, burning rocks shooting from its core.

"Are we in danger?" May asked. Cynthia shook her head. "No…the water surrounding this place will stop the advancement of any lava but…"

"**Master! Master was there!" **Hisui echoed out in fear. **"I…I can't feel him! I can't feel him anymore!"**

Eyes widened all around.

"no…" Dawn moaned softly, dropping to her knees. Even she couldn't feel him, just empty space where his 'life' used to be.

Suddenly Nyx tensed. She whirled her head around wildly, as if trying to spot something.

"Blaze?" Bella spoke to the Giratina turned Human.

"Something is…off."

As soon as she spoke those words, the air seemed to distort. The sky turned pitch black for a moment, as a vague shimmer of distorted light appeared right in front of her. She stepped back, sensing similar energy to that of a ghost Pokémon emerging from the shadowed echo of reality, but not sensing a Pokémon at all. Dawn rose, feeling a strange pressure in her head, as did Hisui. The air flickered and popped, before a small burst of wispy black and purple erupted from a single point, swirling around like a raging mist. The rushing sound of heavy air, like a tornado tearing through a city, filled their ears as the mist began to arc and twist violently.

Finally the mist seemed to shimmer before exploding outward in pale violet wisps, a loud tearing sound echoing across the small resort. They all stared in shock.

Zero and Sabrina, hand in hand, clothes burnt and in tatters, hair singed and bodies smoking, appeared, before Zero dropped to his knees, almost pulling Sabrina with him. The pale mists spiraled around and condensed in front of him into a misty violet orb.

"That…was…a thing…" He spoke hoarsely, falling onto his back, hand slipping out of Sabrina's grasp, as the girl too collapsed to her rear.

"Thought we were goners for sure…" She spoke softly, as if barely believing they lived.

"Fuck it…next time I go investigating some weird vision, I'm taking my god-team with me."

"ZERO!" "**MASTER!"**

"Oww…not so loud girls…my ears are still ringing." He groaned.

"What happened?" May asked, kneeling next to Zero. "We thought you were dead!" Cecilia spoke.

"**You vanished entirely from my senses Master, like a blank space!"** Hisui cried out.

"Yeah…I guess that's part of what happened?" He barely knew himself.

"I don't even know…friggin…we found that old guy getting burnt worse than a badly cooked turkey. Then friggin Heatran saw us and was still pissy, so we had to beat the shit out of it…which we did…barely."

"I have no regrets." Sabrina stated tonelessly. "Second near-death experience aside, I've never felt so good in my life."

"Yeah you're only saying that cause you got to go Full Synchro with me." Zero retorted.

"**Full…wait she managed to completely align with you?"**

"It was fucking **awesome**." Sabrina said, tone still blank, but with a hint of excitement to it. She stared aimlessly at the sky, spread-eagle on her back.

"So, we kick his ass. And then he decides to go all kamikaze on us. I thought we were gonna die."

"Same here. But then you did that little phase-walk-glide…thing."

"For the record I have **no **idea what the hell that was, just that it had _godlike _timing." Zero claimed.

"Phase-walk-glide-thing?" Cynthia questioned.

"That orb. That thing, right when the magma was basically on top of us, just appeared, and yanked us into some colorless version of reality. Like, the heat had already started burning my hair, and I know for a _fact _I'm gonna need some aloe soon, but…damn."

"Hey…Alma…" From his side emerged the Mismagius in human form.

"Is that…what it's like when you shift planes?"

"Yep!" She said brightly.

"Huh…" Zero sat up slightly, Sabrina slowly doing the same, ignoring the fact that her left breast was poking out of a burnt hole in her top, or simply not caring.

"So…Adamant Orb gives Timey Warpy powers…Lustrous Orb gives Space powers…and Griseous Orb…gives Ghosty powers? Ugh…my life is a friggin RPG now…"

"So…Heatran?" Nyx asked.

"Dead." Sabrina stated. "Or unconscious." She corrected.

"Fucker _better _be dead, after what he did. Hell if he's still alive I'm going back there, chopping his head off and mounting it on my wall, and then taking a picture of me standing next to his corpse. Then if anyone thinks they can step to me i'll just whip out that picture and go 'yeah, that's Heatran. He tried to bury me in a volcano so I cut his head off and stuck it on my wall. Sorry, you were trying to do what with the world now?'"

Sabrina just shook her head. "You're not doing anything of the sort unless I'm in the picture with you. That Explosion almost killed _me _too." Zero flicked his hand around as if to wave off her comment.

"Don't worry about it. If he knows what's good for him he'll at least _pretend _to be dead. Kiiinda getting sick of being thrown up against legendaries left and right and almost getting killed for it. I swear, if I find out this is all one big test to throw me up against God like in SMT I'm going to stab something."

"With a fork." Sabrina added.

"You're hungry aren't you?"

She nodded, still wearing a dreamily blank look on her face. Dawn looked between the two. "You two seem…closer."

"That'll happen when you nearly die together."

"After merging psychic fields to punch a giant fiery rock monster into a bed of magma."

Zero nodded and seconds later both his and Sabrina's stomachs rumbled at the same time.

"**Food"** They both spoke at the same time. As they got up, Sabrina groaned. "Ugh, I feel sticky, and not in the fun way."

"Yeah we should take a shower…" Zero mused.

"I'm joining!" Dawn piped up.

"M-me too!" May echoed, not wanting to be outdone. Zero looked at both of them, deadpan.

"I MEANT separately. Besides, my shower is barely big enough for two people, let alone _four._"

"A-actually…" Cecilia spoke, flushing slightly. Everyone turned to her. "There's a **big **Jacuzzi at my mansion…we keep it cleaned but rarely ever have the chance to use it…it's definitely big enough for all of us." Dawn got a bright smile on her face, Sabrina got a smirk, May let out a nervous giggle and Zero…smacked his forehead and sighed.

"I'll go get the towels…"

And he walked off, muttering about 'perverted women' and 'life turning me into a goddamn H-Game protagonist.'

* * *

**A/N: **VS Heatran goooo! Epic battle is epic. Sabrina's got more raw power psychically than Zero does, but Zero has imagination and near instant comprehension, letting him use his field a little better. For her second outfit, imagine her wearing the top she does in HG/SS when you fight her.

Oh and for the last thing Alma did against Heatran, imagine Mu-12's Omoihikane (Wisdom of the Divine) Distortion Drive from BlazBlue Continuum Shift.

D&S Master: And now we get to see what Sabrina can do. And unlike in Platinum, Charon doesn't get arrested, he gets turned into charcoal. I find that…far more fitting.


End file.
